Esquire Endorses America

504 races happen this month.

Nov 1, 2006

This month's general election is an epic fight for the future of our country. 504 races. 504 decisions. We make a choice in every race. Now it's up to you.

LET'S TAKE AS OUR PREMISE that government matters. Not just the president and his Cabinet but Congress, too. Sometimes that needs restating, especially when Congress seems to accomplish little. The Constitution establishes the Congress as a coequal branch of the federal government; sohow coequal has the Congress been lately?

We resolved, in this election year, to take a long, hard look at those who are running for Congress and, for good measure, those running for governor as well. All of them.And to make a choice among the candidates in each of those races. All of them. Well, our search became an exercise in full-contact democracy, and here, we present our findings.

A few words on our methods: We abstain in no races, because that would be the same as not voting. If a race presents a choice between mediocrities, we will make that choice. With rare exceptions, we do not consider third-party or independent candidates, because with rare exceptions, the country does not consider them. We endorse without regard to the likely outcome in any given race, because we are not pundits. The size of the war chest and the latest poll get no consideration from us whatsoever. In our selections, the slightest modicum of independence is rewarded. We have endorsed very conservative Republicans and very liberal Democrats and everything in between. And you may notice that our lists of the best and worst members of Congress are both dominated by Republicans. That is for the simple reason that in this era, the Republicans have dominated the Congress and thus have put themselves in better position to be very good and very bad. Whether you agree with our choices or not, please treat thisas a provocation to vote. Let's get started.

ALABAMA

GOVERNOR

Bob Riley (R)*

Lucy Baxley (D)

In plain terms, the incumbent, Bob Riley, has done an exceptional job. He's reduced taxes, turned a huge deficit into a huge surplus, and met gutsy education goals. Oh, and he's the first 'Bama governor in years not to have been cited for improper use of office funds. Esquire endorses: Riley

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jo Bonner (R)

Vivian Beckerle (D)

Bonner made headlines by voting against the Voting Rights Act extension this year. His defense of that controversial action, however, seemed principled and was even eloquent: He thinks it's not fair that the law applies to only nine states and not the whole country. Esquire endorses: Bonner

District 2

Terry Everett (R)

Chuck James (D)

This district is peanut country, and Everett makes sure peanut farmers (himself included) get their share of federal subsidies. But he's also done good work in support of veterans. Esquire endorses: Everett

District 3

Mike Rogers (R)

Greg Pierce (D)

Rogers brings home the bacon and spends his free time chattering about family values. Esquire endorses: Pierce

District 4

Robert Aderholt (R)

Barbara Bobo (D)

If antigay, antiwoman, anti-religious-freedom bigotry is a family value, Aderholt's got family values to spare. Otherwise, he's given his constituents few reasons to keep reelecting him. Esquire endorses: Bobo

District 5

No major-party opponent

Bud Cramer (D)

Cramer is a moderate Democrat, conservative on gun rights and missile defense. He's also a leading advocate of programs to protect and treat abused children. Esquire endorses: Cramer

District 6

Spencer Bachus(R)

No major-party opponent

Spencer Bachus has a lengthy record of defending human rights in poor and war-torn regions, calling for and supporting legislation in that regard and supporting Third World debt relief. Good work. Esquire endorses: Bachus

District 7

No major-party opponent

Artur Davis (D)

Harvard-educated and a former federal-judge clerk, Davis is an independent thinker and a rising star among Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus. That he defeated an incumbent thoroughly enmeshed in Alabama's black political machine is a terrific sign for anyone who believes in meritocracy. Esquire endorses: Davis

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Don Young (R)

Diane Benson (D)

Those who need to maintain decorum call Young "prickly." Average folks just call him an asshole. As for his job performance, he's possibly the most wasteful earmarker in Congress. Soon-to-be-former-governor Murkow-ski supported the bridges to nowhere, but Young invented them. Esquire endorses: Benson

ARIZONA

GOVERNOR

Len Munsil (R)

Janet Napolitano (D)

This will be a race between a Republican ideologue and a centrist incumbent Democrat with a track record of bipartisan success. Distressingly, it may be a close race. Esquire endorses: Napolitano

SENATE

Jon Kyl (R)

Jim Pederson (D)

That Kyl, Arizona's junior senator, is a consummate behind-the-scenes dealmaker and an accomplished legislator is beyond dispute. That he seldom assumes a position that is anything but the most extreme, as he did with his "report to deport" immigration plan, is also widely established. For his obvious intelligence, he simply displays little of the independence that his colleague John McCain does, an independence that Arizonans prize much more than a slavish devotion to anyone's agenda. Esquire endorses: Pederson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Rick Renzi(R)

Ellen Simon (D)

Renzi has done good work for the Native Americans in his district, but he's mostly been a loud, sometimes abrasive mouthpiece for the Bush administration. It's telling that he now mentions neither Bush nor the fact that he's a Republican on his Web site. Esquire endorses: Simon

District 2

Trent Franks (R)

John Thrasher (D)

Franks is the most conservative representative from Arizona, which says a lot, and despite styling himself as a fiscally conservative independent has caved in to national-party interests on several occasions, which also says a lot. Esquire endorses: Thrasher

District 3

John Shadegg (R)

Herb Paine (D)

Like Franks, Shadegg styles himself as an independent conservative; unlike Franks, he's backed that image up repeatedly. Esquire endorses: Shadegg

District 4

Don Karg (R)

Ed Pastor (D)

Pastor's a local politician with no grander ambitions, and his politics accurately reflect his district, perhaps a touch too well: He's known as an efficient pork farmer. His opponent, however, a perennial candidate, seems completely devoid of interest in the job, let alone the skills needed to meet its responsibilities. Esquire endorses: Pastor

District 5

J. D. Hayworth (R)

Harry Mitchell (D)

A stalwart of the Republican class of '94, Hayworth is an unpleasant man who loves the sound of his own bombast. That might be okay if he were smart or ambitious or effective, but he's not. Esquire endorses: Mitchell

District 6

Jeff Flake (R)

No major-party opponent

Flake is anything but what his name suggests: He's an unwavering conservative. He went too far in saying he would accept no federal money for local projects, but it's refreshing to see a Republican actually stand by small-government principles. Esquire endorses: Flake

District 7

Ron Drake (R)

Raúl Grijalva (D)

Grijalva's brand of Latino populism will likely become commonplace in decades to come. For now, he's a leading opponent of the GOP's punitive illegal-immigration policies. Esquire endorses: Grijalva

District 8

Randy Graf (R)

Gabrielle Giffords (D)

In the race to replace retiring congressman Jim Kolbe, Graf won the Republican primary. The Republican National Committee, however, en-dorsed a more moderate candidate, fearing Graf was too right wing to hold this seat. Giffords will maintain Kolbe's honorable record of centrism. If she's exceptional, she'll also emulate Kolbe's strong defense of civil rights, which, against his party's wishes, included those of gay Americans. Esquire endorses: Giffords

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Mickey Stumbaugh (R)

Marion Berry (D)

No, the incumbent's not the crack-smoking former D. C. mayor. He's a down-home, moderate Democrat with a decade of bipartisan work in the House. His opponent is nicknamed Stubby. Esquire endorses: Berry

District 2

Andy Mayberry (R)

Vic Snyder (D)

And no, the challenger here has no relation to The Andy Griffith Show, though he does have a cat named Sooiiee ("as in Woo-Pig Sooiiee!"), according to his Web site. Charming, but not enough to pick him over a five-term incumbent so principled he received a Republican paper's endorsement in 2004. Esquire endorses: Snyder

District 3

John Boozman (R)

Woodrow Anderson III (D)

Boozman's been good for his district, particularly with his legislation that helped clean up two local rivers. But his national-level policy efforts, particularly his determination to blur the line between church and state, are just too troublesome. That line's been blurred far too much already. Esquire endorses: Anderson

District 4

Joe Ross (R)

Mike Ross (D)

Having lost the past three elections here to Ross, despite throwing everything in their arsenal at the contests, Republicans have finally conceded the obvious: Ross is the right man for this job. The Republican candidate this year is a landscaper. Esquire endorses: Mike Ross

COLORADO

GOVERNOR

Bob Beauprez (R)

Bill Ritter (D)

Democrat Ritter has held a lead almost from the beginning of this race. Voters seem to appreciate his tough but pragmatic work as Denver's DA and his centrist Catholic liberalism. Beauprez is paying a price for his unfailing fealty to the Bush administration. Esquire endorses: Ritter

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

No major-party opponent

Diana DeGette (D)

DeGette represents a liberal district, a mix of urban and bohemian communities, and she's a dyed-in-the-wool liberal herself. She's also politically astute and has strung together some impressive legislative wins in a hostile House. Esquire endorses: DeGette

District 2

Rich Mancuso (R)

Mark Udall(D)

Mark Udall is a scion of the legendary Udall family, the Kennedys of the American West (minus the vast wealth and snobbery). He maintains his forebears' tradition of wise land stewardship, regional and bipartisan political focus, and aversion to unnecessary war. Esquire endorses: Udall

District 3

Scott Tipton (R)

John Salazar(D)

Salazar accomplished a rare feat in 2004, becoming one of only two Democrats to take open Republican seats. His pro-gun, pro-agriculture, local-guy image outshone his opponent's Karl Rove Playbook tactics. Esquire endorses: Salazar

District 4

Marilyn Musgrave (R)

Angie Paccione (D)

Marilyn Musgrave's conservatism is instinctual and extreme; like one of those pull-string dolls, she has only a few things to say, and she repeats them in an endless loop. Among other things (bashing gays, opposing gun locks, approving torture), this ideologue voted to reduce veterans' benefits during wartime. Esquire endorses: Paccione

District 5

Doug Lamborn (R)

Jay Fawcett (D)

It's unfortunate that this district automatically votes Republican, because--a rare thing in safe districts of either party--the opposition's nominee is worthy of serious consideration. Jay Fawcett is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who's demanding answers to crucial but rarely asked questions of strategy in the war on terrorism. Esquire endorses: Fawcett

District 6

Tom Tancredo (R)

Bill Winter (D)

See "The Worst Members of Congress," page 199. Esquire endorses: Winter

District 7

Rick O'Donnell (R)

Ed Perlmutter (D)

Hand in glove with his campaign to secure the border, Rick O'Donnell is leading a quixotic though honorable campaign on a platform of reducing human trafficking. Perlmutter's campaign is more expansive, intelligently addressing problems from the war to health care. Esquire endorses: Perlmutter

CONNECTICUT

GOVERNOR

Jodi Rell (R)

John DeStefano (D)

Jodi Rell took over for corrupt former governor John Rowland and has been a breath of fresh air; she deserves this endorsement for restoring the public interest as priority number one in Hartford. Esquire endorses: Rell

SENATE

Alan Schlesinger (R)

Ned Lamont (D)

Joe Lieberman(I)

So the same Democratic primary voters who rewarded you with their votes for 18 years are now mistaken when they turn you out, giving you no choice but to run as an Independent? Senator Lieberman, it is you who are mistaken. And your repeated assertion that there should be no criticism of the president in a time of war is not merely mistaken, it is un-American. Esquire endorses: Lamont

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Scott MacLean (R)

John Larson (D)

Moderate Democrat John Larson has represented his district, a mix of great wealth and deep poverty, since 1998. His focus on job creation and labor issues is the reason. Esquire endorses: Larson

District 2

Rob Simmons (R)

Joe Courtney (D)

Rob Simmons is one of the most independent Republicans in office, a fiscal conservative who sees a role for government and a moderate on cultural issues. It would take a great, not just good, politician to outshine him, and his opponent doesn't meet that standard. Esquire endorses: Simmons

District 3

Joseph Vollano (R)

Rosa DeLauro (D)

DeLauro is a liberal with a strong feminist streak and a willingness to kick ass. Esquire endorses: DeLauro

District 4

Christopher Shays (R)

Diane Farrell (D)

Shays is one of the premier moderates in the Congress. He's in a very tight race this year, but he deserves reelection. The ills visited on the country by the DeLay majority are not his fault. Esquire endorses: Shays

District 5

Nancy Johnson (R)

Chris Murphy (D)

You've probably heard of the "doughnut hole" in the new Medicare prescription-drug plan: It's the part that'll make billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry, at consumers' expense. And Johnson, who helped create the hole, gets loads from the industry in return. Esquire endorses: Murphy

DELAWARE

SENATE

Jan Ting (R)

Thomas Carper (D)

Carper has won more Delaware elections than any other person for a very good reason. Esquire endorses: Carper

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Michael Castle (R)

Dennis Spivack (D)

Castle's a pragmatic guy, and popular with a strong majority of Delaware's citizens. His opponent's platform is vague to the point of meaninglessness. Esquire endorses: Castle

GEORGIA

GOVERNOR

Sonny Perdue (R)

Mark Taylor (D)

Sonny Perdue signed into law legislation requiring that Georgia voters supply certain forms of identification in order to participate in elections. It's a complicated law, but, in a nutshell, it's probably a) unconstitutional and b) designed to make it more difficult for minorities, the disabled, and the elderly to vote. Esquire endorses: Taylor

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jack Kingston (R)

Jim Nelson (D)

Kingston is a strict conservative, but his major concern is his district, not his party. And he serves his people well, if a little hypocritically, by ensuring plentiful dollars keep flowing to local military bases, even those slated for downsizing. Esquire endorses: Kingston

District 2

Brad Hughes (R)

Sanford Bishop (D)

Bishop brings the money to his district while looking out for the mostly poor and lower-middle-class civilians who make up his voting base. Esquire endorses: Bishop

District 3

Lynn Westmoreland (R)

Mike McGraw (D)

Lynn Westmoreland is the doofus who went on The Colbert Report arguing for his bill to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in the House and Senate, and then proved unable to name all ten. Or, in fact, more than three. Thou shalt not be a rank hypocrite, congressman. Esquire endorses: McGraw

District 4

Catherine Davis (R)

Hank Johnson (D)

Congress's biggest embarrassment, Cynthia McKinney, lost her bid for reelection in August. Her replacement will be Hank Johnson, who is both sane and dignified. Esquire endorses: Johnson

District 5

No major-party opponent

John Lewis (D)

See "9 Pillars of Congress," page 200. Esquire endorses: Lewis

District 6

Tom Price (R)

Steve Sinton (D)

Tom Price is a medical doctor, and though his vote in support of the embryonic-stem-cell-research ban seems simply politically expedient, he's generally a moderate and even progressive legislator on health-care issues. Esquire endorses: Price

District 7

John Linder (R)

Allan Burns (D)

Linder is a behind-the-scenes kind of guy and a conservative more in the vein of earlier generations than the current one. He's the right man for his district, and a good man for his country. Esquire endorses: Linder

District 8

Mac Collins (R)

Jim Marshall (D)

Georgia Republicans tried to pull a double steal in their 2005 redistricting, handing a newly Republican third district to Lynn Westmoreland and giving Marshall the eighth with a reduced Democratic base. It speaks volumes for Marshall's devoted, centrist service that he's still leading his GOP opponent by a large margin. Esquire endorses: Marshall

District 9

Nathan Deal (R)

John Bradbury (D)

Deal is a staunch conservative, but of the traditional kind, and his lifetime of practical experience as both a lawyer and lawmaker (beginning as a Democrat) is a real strength. Esquire endorses: Deal

District 10

Charlie Norwood (R)

Terry Holley (D)

Norwood stunned his party in the late 1990s by supporting the Democrat-sponsored Patients' Bill of Rights; a former dentist, he felt strongly that HMOs often served their shareholders better than their patients. He's a strict conservative in his unwavering defense of individual and consumer rights. Esquire endorses: Norwood

District 11

Phil Gingrey (R)

Patrick Pillion (D)

Phil Gingrey generally votes with his party, but recently he's mostly worked on unglamorous legislation that most can support: funding for housing programs for runaways and single mothers. Esquire endorses: Gingrey

District 12

Max Burns (R)

John Barrow(D)

Barrow narrowly won in 2004, defeating incumbent Max Burns, who is his opponent again this year. Redistricting will make it hard for him to win again, but if local Republicans vote with their heads instead of their party affiliation, this centrist Democrat will retain his seat. Esquire endorses: Barrow

District 13

Deborah Honeycutt (R)

David Scott (D)

An independent, pro-business Blue Dog Democrat, Scott represents the values of his district well--although, unfortunately, those values include antigay bias. Esquire endorses: Scott

HAWAII*

GOVERNOR

Linda Lingle (R)

Randy Iwase (D)

Democrats are targeting this race, but there's no reason to replace Lingle. She's balanced Hawaii's budget, isn't an ideologue, and supports programs to help minorities and the poor. Esquire endorses: Lingle

SENATE

Numerous candidates (R)

Daniel Akaka or Ed Case (D)

The Republicans in this race are a disorganized, unqualified bunch. Not so the Democrats, but Akaka, the incumbent, is getting old and has never been an ambitious senator. His primary challenger, Ed Case, is a U. S. representative--and an active one. Esquire endorses: Case or Akaka

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Richard "Noah" Hough or Mark Terry (R)

Neil Abercrombie or Alexandra Kaan (D)

He's often called a hippie, but Abercrombie's actually just an easygoing, independent guy who doesn't accept conventional wisdom. Beneath the bushy beard is a perceptive and principled old salt. Esquire endorses: Abercrombie

District 2

Bob Hogue or Quentin Kawananakoa (R)

Numerous candidates (D)

In this solidly Democratic district, the only real race is for the party's candidacy. Esquire endorses: Democratic candidate

IDAHO

GOVERNOR

C. L. "Butch" Otter (R)

Jerry Brady (D)

Governor Dirk Kempthorne made few waves while in office. If voters are looking for someone more dynamic, both candidates fit the bill. Brady gets the endorsement for two reasons: He has no ties to Washington, and he's an extraordinarily successful, progressive entrepreneur. Esquire endorses: Brady

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Bill Sali (R)

Larry Grant (D)

"That idiot is just an absolute idiot," said Bruce Newcomb, Idaho House Speaker and fellow Republican, of Bill Sali. Just how big a loser is Sali? Try this: His own party is campaigning for the Democratic candidate. Esquire endorses: Grant

District 2

Mike Simpson (R)

Jim Hansen (D)

Simpson is the sort of representative America, and the sharply divided West in particular, needs: pragmatic, nonideological, and earnestly devoted to all-party negotiations on controversial issues. Esquire endorses: Simpson

ILLINOIS

GOVERNOR

Jody Baar Topinka (R)

Rod Blagojevich (D)

Blagojevich was elected in 2002 on a platform of breaking Illinois's--and especially Chicago's--political-patronage machine. He's done well in that regard, and in his defense of women's and the elderly's health-care rights. Esquire endorses: Blagojevich

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jason Tabour (R)

Bobby Rush (D)

Bobby Rush is a former Black Panther and current Baptist minister, a hidebound urban Democrat, and an opponent of zero-tolerance laws regarding illegal immigration. In short, he's perfect for his district. Esquire endorses: Rush

District 2

Robert Belin (R)

Jesse Jackson Jr. (D)

It'd be easy to make negative assumptions about what Jesse Jackson's son would be like as a politician. But Jackson has become an impressive member of Congress, keenly attuned to the needs of middle-class Americans, whatever the color of their skin. Esquire endorses: Jackson

District 3

Ray Wardingley (R)

Dan Lipinski (D)

Dan Lipinski's father held this seat until 2004, then essentially handed it to his son. Dan carries on the family traditions, supporting local trades and transportation projects. Esquire endorses: Lipinski

District 4

Ann Melichar (R)

Luis Gutierrez (D)

Luis Gutierrez, sharp-tongued and egotistical, offended many party leaders as a freshman; he now finds himself politically hamstrung. A solid opponent would earn an endorsement, but Ann Melichar isn't one. Esquire endorses: Gutierrez

District 5

Kevin White (R)

Rahm Emanuel (D)

Rahm Emanuel is without doubt the smartest strategist the Democrats have, tough and quick. Even the Republicans genuflect. Esquire endorses: Emanuel

District 6

Peter Roskam (R)

Tammy Duckworth (D)

Redoubtable Republican Henry Hyde, a congressman since 1974, is retiring. His replacement will be either a) an unquestioning supporter of the administration or b) someone who experienced its failures firsthand, Iraq-war veteran Tammy Duckworth. Esquire endorses: Duckworth

District 7

Charles Hutchinson (R)

Danny Davis (D)

A moral man personally acquainted with the immoralities of poverty, Danny Davis argues thoughtfully and eloquently in support of efforts to reduce it. Esquire endorses: Davis

District 8

David McSweeney (R)

Melissa Bean (D)

Bean stunned the GOP when she defeated seemingly invulnerable Republican incumbent Phil Crane in this Republican district in 2004. How'd she do it? By promising to take a moderate stance on most issues and defend the interests of her constituents--both of which she has done. Esquire endorses: Bean

District 9

Michael Shannon (R)

Jan Schakowsky(D)

In a political environment focused on the uses and abuses of bombs, Jan Schakowsky has focused on something closer to home: children's toys and their safety, or lack thereof. Which, in its way, is pretty darn commendable. Esquire endorses: Schakowsky

District 10

Mark Kirk (R)

Dan Seals (D)

When a Republican candidate runs against an openly gay Democrat and still earns the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign, the Sierra Club, and Planned Parenthood, as incumbent Kirk did in 2004, it speaks volumes about his independence. Esquire endorses: Kirk

District 11

Jerry Weller (R)

John Pavich (D)

Jerry Weller gained favor with the GOP establishment by working behind the scenes in support of Dennis Hastert's bid for control of the House. That's one way to secure your job; the other way, by actually working hard for your district, is not Weller's style. Esquire endorses: Pavich

District 12

No major-party opponent

Jerry Costello(D)

Costello's never been convicted on corruption charges, but in 1997 his business partner was--and Costello was named as an unindicted coconspirator. He's a questionable character and an unimpressive representative. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please.

District 13

Judy Biggert (R)

Joseph Shannon (D)

A moderate Republican with a liberal voting record on social issues and an intelligent approach to education policy (supporting financial literacy in a nation with a declining savings rate is a good idea), Biggert is someone this country needs. Esquire endorses: Biggert

District 14

Dennis Hastert (R)

John Laesch (D)

See "The Worst Members of Congress," page 199. Esquire endorses: Laesch

District 15

Tim Johnson (R)

David Gill (D)

Centrist Republican Tim Johnson makes a particular point of advocating for the needs of his constituents, a mixed bunch of moderates from both parties. Unafraid to oppose the GOP establishment, he's also tough in a more basic way, once delivering a speech after a car accident despite a punctured lung. Esquire endorses: Johnson

District 16

Don Manzullo (R)

Richard Auman (D)

On his Web site, Don Manzullo flaunts the millions of dollars in transportation funds he's secured for his district, then proudly proclaims his recognition as a fiscal conservative from various conservative taxpayer groups. Presumably not the taxpayers who are buying his new roads. Esquire endorses: Auman

District 17

Andrea Lane Zinga (R)

Phil Hare (D)

Incumbent Democrat Lane Evans is retiring due to complications from Parkinson's disease, first diagnosed in 1995. The Republican candidate Andrea Zinger's credentials consist only of being a local news anchor, and her classless attack on Evans in her 2004 run, implying that his medications made him intellectually incompetent, are a pill too bitter to swallow. Esquire endorses: Hare

District 18

Ray LaHood (R)

Steve Waterworth (D)

It takes savvy and spine to oppose one's own party on foreign policy in an election year, and LaHood has done so several times, most recently when he argued for visa extensions for Lebanese visitors and a resumption of talks on lifting the Cuban embargo following Fidel Castro's illness. Esquire endorses: LaHood

District 19

John Shimkus (R)

Danny Stover (D)

Shimkus is the one who got the White House to reduce restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. As we understand it, mercury's pretty bad for you. Esquire endorses: Stover

INDIANA

SENATE

Richard "Dick" Lugar (R)

No major-party opponent

See "9 Pillars of Congress," page 200. Esquire endorses: Lugar

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Mark Leyva (R)

Peter Visclosky (D)

A moderate who prioritizes his constituents' interests, Visclosky is nothing to write home about, and nothing to complain about, either. Esquire endorses: Visclosky

District 2

Chris Chocola (R)

Joe Donnelly (D)

It's lucky for Chris Chocola that his constituents are, like him, socially conservative, because his strict pro-trade economic views likely cost many jobs in this industrial region. Esquire endorses: Donnelly

District 3

Mark Souder (R)

Tom Hayhurst (D)

Souder says his evangelical Christianity is his defining characteristic. From his record of symbolic (as opposed to meaningful) conservative stands, we'd say he's defined by a tendency to say a lot and do little. Esquire endorses: Hayhurst

District 4

Steve Buyer (R)

David Sanders (D)

Steve Buyer's the sort of man for whom the U. S. military can do no wrong--a position not supported, to its credit, by the U. S. military. Esquire endorses: Sanders

District 5

Dan Burton (R)

Katherine Carr (D)

Incumbent Dan Burton is sober as a priest on some issues, mad as a hatter on others. To his credit, he opposed the Medicare drug plan as a sellout to Big Pharma, but otherwise he's just been too strange for too long. Don't forget, he conducted his own ballistics tests--by shooting a melon in his backyard--to prove that Vince Foster was murdered. Esquire endorses: Carr

District 6

Mike Pence (R)

Barry Welsh (D)

Pence is a strict conservative, to the extent that he actually opposes runaway government spending. Rebel! He's also rational on the immigration issue, helping write a compromise bill he's catching hell for from the wing nuts. Our kind of guy. Esquire endorses: Pence

District 7

Eric Dickerson (R)

Julia Carson(D)

Carson has served her district's needs well for more than three decades, first locally and then, since 1996, nationally. Her opponent likes to proclaim his advantage in business sense, having been PR chief for General Motors. Pardon us for considering that a weak argument. Esquire endorses: Carson

District 8

John Hostettler (R)

Brad Ellsworth (D)

John Hostettler distinguished himself from other rubber-stamp Bush Republicans only by attempting to carry a loaded pistol onto a plane in Kentucky in 2004. His opponent, a centrist Democratic sheriff, won't be so dadgum stupid. Esquire endorses: Ellsworth

District 9

Mike Sodrel (R)

Baron Hill (D)

Mike Sodrel is spending more time talking about his problems with the Democrats than about his own achievements. That's an argument for his opponent in itself, but suggesting that a vote for Hill--a conservative Democrat and former congressman--is a vote for "San Francisco" betrays his stupidity and utter lack of distinction. Esquire endorses: Hill

IOWA

GOVERNOR

Jim Nussle (R)

Chet Culver (D)

Iowans have long voted down the center, favoring neither dogmatic conservatism nor traditional liberalism. The candidates in this race are both positioning themselves as moderates, a hard claim for Nussle to make after being a hard charger in the Gingrich revolution. Esquire endorses: Culver

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Mike Whalen (R)

Bruce Braley (D)

James Hill (Pirate)

In a race between political newcomers, Democrat Braley (a lawyer) is running ahead of Republican Whalen (head of a hotel-and-restaurant business), likely due to dissatisfaction with current representative Jim Nussle's close relationship with the Bush administration. Braley's the better choice, but it could be fun to elect James Hill, a self-declared "pirate" whose campaign slogans include "Chain-whip me if I ever ride in a limo." Esquire endorses: Braley

District 2

Jim Leach (R)

Dave Loebsack (D)

Jim Leach accepts no PAC money, nor any money from outside his state. He considers every piece of legislation on its own merits. He runs clean and fair campaigns, even when his opponents don't. He is, in short, a model representative. Esquire endorses: Leach

District 3

Jeff Lamberti (R)

Leonard Boswell (D)

Boswell is a conservative Democrat mostly known for quietly working in support of his farmer constituents--and for remaining almost invisible otherwise. He'd be up for replacement if his opponent weren't exactly what America doesn't need right now: another member of the Christian right in Congress. Esquire endorses: Boswell

District 4

Tom Latham (R)

Selden Spencer (D)

Latham has voted down the line with the current administration even though he's hardly an archconservative; maybe opportunist is the better word. But on local issues he's been creative. His support for remote health care (doctoring via live data linkups), a technique of great promise in America's growing rural areas, is forward thinking and budget minded. Esquire endorses: Latham

District 5

Steve King(R)

Joyce Schulte (D)

Steve King doesn't just support building a 700-mile wall along the border with Mexico, he actually designed and built one himself. Out of cardboard and scraps of wood. Words fail: Juvenile? Bathetic? Merit badge? In any case, King should not have power over tax dollars. Esquire endorses: Schulte

KANSAS

GOVERNOR

Jim Barnett (R)

Kathleen Sebelius(D)

Contrary to national trends, Kansas has drifted toward the moderate wing of both parties over the past six years. Both the incumbent and the challenger typify the shift, but the incumbent, Sebelius, has the better record of leadership and results. Esquire endorses: Sebelius

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jerry Moran (R)

John Doll (D)

Jerry Moran is a serious conservative-to-moderate member of his party not given to loud rhetoric or hyperbole. Bless him. Esquire endorses: Moran

District 2

Jim Ryun (R)

Nancy Boyda (D)

Ryun is an ultraconservative evangelical Christian, but his moral superiority didn't stop him from purchasing a townhouse at below-market price from a sham family-values organization that served, in reality, as an Abramoff-DeLay slush fund. Esquire endorses: Boyda

District 3

Chuck Ahner (R)

Dennis Moore (D)

This district is split between Democrats, moderate Republicans, and conservative Republicans. Moore appeals to the first two and has a record of solid results, but should Ahner, also a moderate, win in November, the district will continue to be well served. Esquire endorses: Moore

District 4

Todd Tiahrt (R)

Garth McGinn (D)

Tiahrt took money from Tom DeLay, gave money to Tom DeLay, voted (twice) for House rules to protect Tom DeLay, and steadfastly defended Tom DeLay, even after Tom DeLay's indictment. Esquire endorses: McGinn

KENTUCKY

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Ed Whitfield (R)

Tom Barlow (D)

It was a surprise when Whitfield won in this traditionally Southern Democratic district in 1994. But he earned every subsequent reelection with his work on behalf of local interests, including--despite the administration's opposition--federal help in the cleanup of a uranium-enrichment plant. Esquire endorses: Whitfield

District 2

Ron Lewis (R)

Mike Weaver (D)

Lewis is one of those religious conservatives who back up their public statements with personal action: He's the father of an adopted child. If only more abortion opponents actually did something to support women who choose life. Esquire endorses: Lewis

District 3

Anne Northup (R)

John Yarmuth (D)

Anne Northup, first elected in 1996, frequently boasts of the millions in federal money she gets for her district. She is emblematic of the bloated, ineffectual government controlled by self-described fiscal conservatives. Next! Esquire endorses: Yarmuth

District 4

Geoff Davis (R)

Ken Lucas (D)

Davis is a former Army Ranger and has more national-security experience than anyone else in the Republican class of 2004, schooling himself and others on the hot-button China issue, which most just demagogue. This one will be close. Esquire endorses: Davis

District 5

Harold Rogers (R)

Kenneth Stepp (D)

Harold Rogers moderates his cultural conservatism with economic views more in line with this working-class district. Esquire endorses: Rogers

District 6

No major-party opponent

Ben Chandler(D)

Another scion of a southern political dynasty (his grandfather was governor, senator, and commissioner of baseball), Chandler is rooted in values that have served his district for decades: social conservatism with an ingrained disdain for government interference and willing support for locally beneficial spending plans. Esquire endorses: Chandler

LOUISIANA

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Bobby Jindal (R)

David Gereighty or Stacey Tallitsch (D)

Jindal swept into office on a party-line Republican platform two years ago, but he's burned a few bridges--and made friends back home--by fighting for Louisiana to get a fair share of the royalties from its offshore oil. Plus, his IQ could boil water. Esquire endorses: Jindal

District 2

Joe Lavigne and other candidates (R)

William Jefferson (D)

See "The Worst Members of Congress," opposite page. Esquire endorses: Lavigne

District 3

Craig Romero (R)

Charlie Melancon or Olangee Breech (D)

Louisiana politics is always local, but Melancon, in his first term, has also displayed global vision in brokering a deal to have Louisiana oil experts help develop Kazakhstan's offshore oil fields. Esquire endorses: Melancon

District 4

Jim McCrery or Chester Kelley (R)

Artis Cash or Patti Cox (D)

McCrery is known as a conservative, but he's not blindly so, and he's a peacemaker between warring House members. Esquire endorses: McCrery

District 5

Rodney Alexander (R)

Gloria Williams Hearn (D)

Alexander is in the GOP now--and his values have long fit in there--but he was elected as a Democrat. His switch was unexpected, opportunistically timed, and more than a little vindictive; a man of his character represents few Americans, whatever their party. His opponent, unfortunately, is virtually invisible. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please.

District 6

Richard Baker (R)

No major-party opponent

If there is never another Enron, hedge-fund collapse, or insider-trading scandal, you'll have Richard Baker to thank for it. He is the leading advocate of corporate accountability in the House, and one of the few with the expertise to craft legislation to effect it. Esquire endorses: Baker

District 7

Charles Boustany (R)

Mike Stagg (D)

Boustany has done little to offend his party in his two years in Congress--even on the matter of the weak federal response to Hurricane Rita, which ravaged his district. His opponent won't be such a lapdog. Esquire endorses: Stagg

MAINE

GOVERNOR

Chandler Woodcock (R)

John Baldacci (D)

A member of Maine's government since 1982, Baldacci's first term as governor saw him deftly rein in and begin solving the state's fiscal woes. No wonder he's so popular. Esquire endorses: Baldacci

SENATE

Olympia Snowe (R)

Jean Hay Bright (D)

See "9 Pillars of Congress," page 200. Esquire endorses: Snowe

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Darlene Curley (R)

Tom Allen (D)

An early proponent of campaign-finance reform, Allen is also a leader on mercury regulation--appropriate for a state that makes a lot of money from the sea. Esquire endorses: Allen

District 2

L. Scott D'Amboise (R)

Michael Michaud (D)

Many politicians claim to have working-class values; Michaud earned his laboring in a paper mill for 28 years. He knows his people's needs, and he's one of the House's most outspoken supporters of women's equality. Esquire endorses: Michaud

MARYLAND

GOVERNOR

Robert Ehrlich (R)

Martin O'Malley (D)

Ehrlich was elected four years ago, when the weakest Kennedy--Kathleen Townsend--was the Democratic standard-bearer, and he has displayed admirable signs of pragmatism in Annapolis. But the far better choice is Baltimore's mayor, Martin O'Malley, who has been a dynamic executive for his city, and will be a national figure once this election is over. Esquire endorses: O'Malley

SENATE

Michael Steele (R)

Ben Cardin (D)

Paul Sarbanes is retiring. Both candidates to replace him have decent bipartisan credentials, but Steele's relatively thin record can't compare with Cardin's 20 good years in the House. Esquire endorses: Cardin

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Wayne Gilchrest (R)

Jim Corwin (D)

It's hard to fault Gilchrest when he so deftly balances economic development with environmental protection and civil liberties with support for crime reduction. He's also visited Iraq repeatedly to assess its condition--something few of his hawkish colleagues can boast. Esquire endorses: Gilchrest

District 2

Jimmy Mathis (R)

Dutch Ruppersberger (D)

Ruppersberger is one of the more conservative members of his party. He's strongly pro-business, with an active interest in urban redevelopment, and that's a good thing for his Baltimore-area district. Esquire endorses: Ruppersberger

District 3

John White (R)

John Sarbanes (D)

Incumbent Ben Cardin is running for Paul Sarbane's Senate seat. Running to replace him are Sarbanes's son John and John White, who has memorized the Republican talking points quite well. Esquire endorses: Sarbanes

District 4

Moshe Starkman (R)

Albert Wynn (D)

In a district with a huge number of federal employees, Wynn has wisely (opponents would say selfishly) put their interests ahead of party politics. Esquire endorses: Wynn

District 5

No major-party opponent

Steny Hoyer (D)

As minority whip, tough-talking Steny Hoyer has led an unflagging assault on the Bush White House and the Republican Congress. Critics say he's viciously partisan, and they're right. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Esquire endorses: Hoyer

District 6

Roscoe Bartlett (R)

Andrew Duck (D)

Bartlett is one of those curious, quirky representatives that Congress seems to need a couple of in order to function. He's an old-school (say, 1840s) Republican, all about religious asceticism and personal responsibility; he's also got 20 patents on lifesaving equipment for pilots and emergency workers. What's not to like, or at least respect? Esquire endorses: Bartlett

Elijah Cummings (D)

District 8

Jeff Stein (R)

Chris Van Hollen (D)

First elected in 2002 to a Republican Congress, liberal Democrat Van Hollen surprised many with his dealmaking skills, particularly when he secured House passage of a bill limiting the outsourcing of federal jobs. Esquire endorses: Van Hollen

MASSACHUSETTS

GOVERNOR

Kerry Healey (R)

Deval Patrick (D)

Mitt Romney is leaving office after one term to run for president. As his likely replacement, Deval Patrick stands out like a beacon. Born into abject poverty, he got himself into Harvard, then into the top levels of several Fortune 500 companies, and led the civil-rights division of the Clinton Justice Department. Esquire endorses: Patrick

SENATE

Kenneth Chase (R)

Ted Kennedy (D)

This outcome is a foregone conclusion. But Kennedy, despite his name being an epithet among conservatives, has for 40 years been one of the most effective aisle-crossing senators in American history. Esquire endorses: Kennedy

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

No major-party opponent

John Olver(D)

He's hardly the most vocal or profligate of congressmen, and that makes John Olver one of many examples belying the "tax and spend" stereotype with which Republicans--some of the biggest spenders in U. S. history, under Bush I, Bush II, and Reagan--have managed to tar Democrats. Esquire endorses: Olver

District 2

No major-party opponent

Richard Neal (D)

Neal is an old-school America-first Democrat with a free-market instinct: He supported NAFTA and GATT, but he also made a strong attempt (supported by more than 100 Republicans) to criminalize offshore corporate bank accounts. Esquire endorses: Neal

District 3

No major-party opponent

James McGovern (D)

McGovern (who once worked for the former senator of the same name) is an instinctive Democrat, Catholic to the bone and pro-union to the end. Appropriate for a district centered in Worcester, the cradle (and now grave) of the industrial revolution. Esquire endorses: McGovern

District 4

No major-party opponent

Barney Frank (D)

Republicans just love to take jabs at Barney. Naturally: They can't match his guts or his record. For all the right wing's efforts to caricature him, Frank has more than amply demonstrated that he's one of the strictest constitutionalists on the Hill. Esquire endorses: Frank

District 5

No major-party opponent

Marty Meehan(D)

With Republican Chris Shays of Connecticut, Meehan sponsored legislation requiring greater disclosure of lobbyist activities and spending. Mainstream Republicans, who have blessed lobbyists with skyrocketing income in the past six years, naturally resisted. Esquire endorses: Meehan

District 6

Rick Barton (R)

John Tierney (D)

Tierney doesn't pursue a national agenda; he looks after the fishermen and retirees who make up his voting base. Esquire endorses: Tierney

District 7

No major-party opponent

Edward Markey (D)

One of the most senior representatives of either party, Markey has long been a leader of bipartisan efforts. His perceptive observations on ongoing security failures under the Department of Homeland Security have been a thorn in the administration's side. Esquire endorses: Markey

District 8

No major-party opponent

Michael Capuano (D)

Anyone from Massachusetts willing to stand up to the hypocrisy of the Catholic church has got stones--and nimble political instincts. Esquire endorses: Capuano

District 9

Jack Robinson (R)

Stephen Lynch (D)

The most conservative of the Massachusetts representatives, Lynch is a lock for his traditional Boston Catholic district, and rightly so. Esquire endorses: Lynch

District 10

Jeff Beatty (R)

Bill Delahunt (D)

MICHIGAN

GOVERNOR

Dick DeVos (R)

Jennifer Granholm (D)

Jennifer Granholm was a rising Democratic star when she took office in 2002, but since then--thanks to the Detroit auto industry's failings--Michigan's shaky economy has dragged her back to earth. That said, she's pushed through some politically courageous budget cuts in the interest of long-term state fiscal health. Her politically inexperienced opponent, on the other hand, has offered plenty of conservative platitudes but virtually no firm policy positions. Esquire endorses: Granholm

SENATE

Mike Bouchard (R)

Debbie Stabenow (D)

The GOP is targeting this seat, charging incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow with failing to pass legislation that would help the auto industry. Which isn't actually true. But yeah, it's hard to protect your constituents when the Republican Congress cynically stymies your every effort. Expect more of the same if the Republican candidate, Mike Bouchard, gets elected. Esquire endorses: Stabenow

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Congressional District 1

Don Hooper (R)

Bart Stupak (D)

Stupak fits his district--and much of America--to a tee, as a rational and centrist Democrat firmly rooted in heartland values. His opponent, meanwhile, apparently believes that 9/11 happened "since the last election." Not the sharpest sword with which to attack a deservedly popular incumbent. Esquire endorses: Stupak

District 2

Pete Hoekstra (R)

Kimon Kotos (D)

Incumbent Hoekstra is an anomaly: a religiously conservative Republican who appears to a) actually believe in classical conservative values and b) refuses to compromise them for personal or political gain. Among other things, he got a law passed barring former representatives from lobbying on the floor of the House. Esquire endorses: Hoekstra

District 3

Vernon Ehlers (R)

James Rinck (D)

Ehlers is a physicist by training, and his rational, just-the-facts approach to environmental protection (and most other issues) puts him at odds with many in his party--and in line with most Americans, Democratic or Republican. Esquire endorses: Ehlers

District 4

Dave Camp (R)

Mike Huckleberry (D)

Dave Camp is a by-the-book conservative and thus well-attuned to his vacation-home district's political leanings. That said, his opponent, Mike Huckleberry, is running a hell of an intelligent--and compelling--campaign for a restaurant owner who still fills his own water pitchers. Esquire endorses: Huckleberry

District 5

Erik Klammer (R)

Dale Kildee (D)

Dale Kildee's old-school Catholic values--pro-union, antiabortion, supportive of the poor and disenfranchised--worked for earlier generations of East Coast politicians. He proves that they still do in the Midwest. Esquire endorses: Kildee

District 6

Fred Upton (R)

Kim Clark (D)

Although his sponsoring of massive increases in the fines for broadcasters who air so-called smut rang as moral posturing, Upton's serious and repeated questioning of the ethics and logic of the Bush tax cuts had the solid thunk of genuine conviction. Esquire endorses: Upton

District 7

Tim Walberg (R)

Sharon Renier (D)

Walberg, a Bible-thumping minister, defeated incumbent centrist Joe Schwarz in the Republican primary. When even President Bush campaigns for the moderate, as he did for Schwarz, you know the other guy is bad news. Esquire endorses: Renier

District 8

Mike Rogers(R)

Jim Marcinkowski (D)

Mike Rogers, a former FBI agent, is behind the use of private security firms to patrol the U. S.-Mexico border--a stance based, presumably, on the bang-up job such contractors have done in stabilizing Iraq. Esquire endorses: Marcinkowski

District 10

Candice Miller (R)

Robert Denison (D)

Miller is a rubber-stamp Bushie reprimanded by the Ethics Committee for intimidating a fellow representative at Tom DeLay's urging. That alone is grounds for dismissal. Esquire endorses: Denison

District 11

Thaddeus McCotter (R)

Tony Trupiano (D)

Little of the legislation supported or sponsored by incumbent McCotter is more than symbolic. America needs creativity and thoughtfulness, not gestures and sound bites. Esquire endorses: Trupiano

District 12

Randell Shafer (R)

Sander Levin (D)

Sander Levin on the repeal of the estate tax: "Whose side are you on: the 300 million Americans who will be alive in the year 2009, or the 7,500 families who would benefit from this bill? This is a sellout of 300 million people." Yes, it is. The bill will reduce federal revenue by $762 billion in the next ten years, and nobody in the majority seems to care. Esquire endorses: Levin

District 13

No major-party opponent

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D)

Kilpatrick is the mother of Detroit's troubled mayor, and her record, like his, describes a politician interested only in enjoying the perks of her position. Tragically, she is also the incoming chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is not a pleasant prospect at all. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please.

District 14

Chad Miles (R)

John Conyers (D)

The second-most-senior member of the House (he was first elected in 1964), Conyers has the authority of experience. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate into notable creativity or influence, but he serves his district well. Esquire endorses: Conyers

District 15

No major-party opponent

John Dingell (D)

The senior member of the House (first elected in 1955), John Dingell has survived every social and political revolution thanks to a shrewd combination of populism and principled stands. The lack of an opponent in this mixed district speaks to his mastery of political craft. Esquire endorses: Dingell

MINNESOTA

GOVERNOR

Tim Pawlenty (R)

Mike Hatch (D)

Pawlenty inherited a state government with a huge deficit and set about reducing it; he cut spending by $2 billion in his first year. Since then he's had far less success, and voters showed their displeasure by replacing 13 incumbent Republicans with Democrats in the state elections in 2004. But it's hard to imagine his opponent doing anything dramatically better--or even dramatically different. Esquire endorses: Pawlenty

SENATE

Mark Kennedy (R)

Amy Klobuchar (D)

In the race to replace Democrat Mark Dayton, Klobuchar has the edge. Minnesota voters value independence and forthrightness in their elected officials, and Kennedy, a congressman, has displayed neither, rubber-stamping most Bush policies until recently, and now forgetting to mention he's a Republican. Klobuchar, a county attorney, lacks this baggage. Esquire endorses: Klobuchar

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Gil Gutknecht (R)

Tim Walz (D)

So it seems that "new information" about the state of the Iraq war now demands that Gutknecht reassess his support for it. Well, better late than never. Esquire endorses: Walz

District 2

John Kline (R)

Colleen Rowley (D)

Kline, a native Texan and career marine, seems out of step with this district, and he is one of those guys who still repeatedly bring up September 11 to justify the war in Iraq, determinedly trying to confuse people. Rowley is the former FBI agent who blew the whistle that the agency had mishandled the information it had on Zaccarias Moussaoui prior to 9/11, but it is not for that that she gets the nod here. Her opponent is simply unsuited for the job. Esquire endorses: Rowley

District 3

Jim Ramstad (R)

Wendy Wilde (D)

A moderate, Ramstad has been unwavering in his support for embryonic-stem-cell research and substance-abuse treatment programs. (He is a recovered alcoholic, dry since 1981.) Esquire endorses: Ramstad

District 4

Obi Sium (R)

Betty McCollum (D)

McCollum is the sort of earnest, practical religious liberal the Midwest has produced for decades--to the nation's benefit. She's being opposed by a hydrologist. Esquire endorses: McCollum

District 5

Alan Fine (R)

Keith Ellison (D)

The race to take retiring Rep. Martin Sabo's seat in Congress won't be close; this district is solidly liberal. And its new congressman will be the first Muslim elected to Congress. Esquire endorses: Ellison

District 6

Michelle Bachmann (R)

Patty Wetterling (D)

This is a race between bumblers: Bachmann undermines her pro-education platform by taking thousands from a group that advocates ending public schooling, and Wetterling skips a debate in order to hold a campaign strategy meeting. Bachmann, however, is the one suckling at the Karl Rove teat. Esquire endorses: Wetterling

District 7

Mike Barrett (R)

Collin Peterson (D)

With a friend as good as moderate, maverick Democrat Collin Peterson in the House, it's a wonder the Republicans are even fielding an opponent. Democrats would be wise to learn from his ability to rack up solid wins year after year in a Republican district. Esquire endorses: Peterson

District 8

Rod Grams (R)

James Oberstar (D)

Holding true to the liberal Catholic traditions of his iron-mining district, Oberstar protects his workers and the open lands on which they like to hunt and fish. An avid cyclist, he also got money for bike and pedestrian trails inserted into the last major transportation bill. Esquire endorses: Oberstar

MISSISSIPPI

SENATOR

Trent Lott (R)

Erik Fleming (D)

This endorsement would have been different if it had happened before 2002, when Lott's career seemed fatally injured after he praised the early, segregationist career of Strom Thurmond. But he survived and has been something of a gadfly on the Hill since then. Know what? The Senate needs people like him. Esquire endorses: Lott

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Roger Wicker(R)

J. K. "Ken" Hurt (D)

Not a great choice here. Wicker's a conservative in the Dixiecrat mode, down on taxes, after the pork has been secured, of course. But his opponent inspires no confidence whatsoever. Esquire endorses: Wicker

District 2

Yvonne Brown (R)

Bennie Thompson (D)

The civil-rights movement taught Thompson his politics; he has, however, not grown much in office. It's time for him to move on, and his opponent, a local mayor, has the right stuff to replace him. Esquire endorses: Brown

District 3

Chip Pickering (R)

No major-party opponent

The son of a celebrated Mississippi prosecutor--one who helped convict KKK members--Pickering learned his mix of conservative politics and commitment to equal rights at an early age. Esquire endorses: Pickering

District 4

Randy McDonnell (R)

Gene Taylor (D)

Taylor's an anachronism--a populist, conservative, ornery old street fighter who seems to enjoy making trouble as much as solving problems, which he does in equal measure. He possesses a rare independence and a veteran's skill. Esquire endorses: Taylor

MISSOURI

SENATE

Jim Talent (R)

Claire McCaskill (D)

Jim Talent, elected on a pro-Bush platform and one of the administration's most faithful supporters, now takes great pains not to mention the president on his campaign Web site. But the stench of weak-willed--not to mention irresponsible--obeisance still clings. Esquire endorses: McCaskill

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Mark Byrne (R)

William Lacy Clay (D)

In an overwhelmingly Democratic and largely black district, Clay--the son of former representative Bill Clay--has picked a wise focus: defense of voting rights. Esquire endorses: Clay

District 2

Todd Akin (R)

George Weber (D)

Like a huge number of his ultraconservative colleagues, Akin supports federalism only when it suits him: When a California court declared the "under God" phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, he introduced a bill that would have negated all lower courts' rulings on the pledge. Esquire endorses: Weber

District 3

Dave Bertelson (R)

Russ Carnahan (D)

One of Missouri's political scions, Carnahan learned from his father--former governor Mel Carnahan--a good strategy for surviving Missouri's humid political climate: move slowly, don't talk too much, and stick close to the cool mainstream. Esquire endorses: Carnahan

District 4

Jim Noland (R)

Ike Skelton (D)

It's a given that when he retires, incumbent Democrat Ike Skelton will be replaced by a Republican. The fact that he still wins by huge margins--outpolling Bush in 2004, astonishingly--is due to his universally respected expertise on defense, a big issue in a district that is home to both an Air Force and an Army base. Esquire endorses: Skelton

District 5

Jacob Turk (R)

Emanuel Cleaver (D)

While mayor of Kansas City, Cleaver supported the Clinton Welfare Reform Act. Poor institutional support under Bush has undermined it, but the old way was a clear failure, and Cleaver's unpopular vote to change it took real independence. Esquire endorses: Cleaver

District 6

Sam Graves (R)

Sara Jo Shettles (D)

It says something about a politician's level of commitment when his campaign Web site is still under construction two months before Election Day. But it's not all that surprising from a guy like Sam Graves, who has demonstrated little initiative as a congressman. Esquire endorses: Shettles

District 7

Roy Blunt (R)

Jack Truman (D)

Well, let's see: Overseer of the K Street Project, Majority Whip Blunt was Tom DeLay's bagman. Personally, he took significant contributions from Jack Abramoff and took action on behalf of two of Abramoff's clients. He has introduced legislation that directly benefits clients of one of his sons, who is a lobbyist. And he raised a pile of questionable cash for another son, who is governor. Unclear when he has time to represent District 7. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much of an opponent. Esquire endorses: Truman

District 8

Jo Ann Emerson (R)

Veronica Hambacker (D)

Independent-minded incumbent Emerson is a welcome voice of reason and humanity within her party. If Congress goes to the Democrats or becomes politically balanced, she'll be a valuable bipartisan ally for both parties. Esquire endorses: Emerson

District 9

Kenny Hulshof (R)

Duane Burghard (D)

An earnest, moderate lawmaker, Hulshof was taken aback when he lost his Ethics Committee seat after voting to admonish Tom DeLay for ethics violations in 2004. He deserves his seat, and those responsible for his ouster should lose theirs. Esquire endorses: Hulshof

MONTANA

SENATE

Conrad Burns (R)

Jon Tester (D)

Did Conrad Burns have any friends as a child? From calling Arabs "ragheads" to reportedly suggesting a fiight attendant become a stay-at-home mom to, in late August, branding all taxi drivers as terrorists, his dominant trait is loutish insensitivity. Oh, and he's closely tied to Jack Abramoff. Montanans have an opportunity to correct a bad mistake. Esquire endorses: Tester

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Denny Rehberg (R)

Monica Lindeen (D)

Rehberg is a fiscal conservative above all. It doesn't prevent him from bringing some money home to Montana, but it's generally for reputable programs. Esquire endorses: Rehberg

NEBRASKA

GOVERNOR

Dave Heineman (R)

David Hahn (D)

Heineman pulled off the upset of the year when he defeated legendary Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne for the gubernatorial nomination. But he did it by demagoguing to the far right on immigration. Esquire endorses: Hahn

SENATE

Pete Ricketts (R)

Ben Nelson(D)

Nelson's one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate--appropriate for his state, whose interests he puts above all others. His opponent talks like a White House mouthpiece. Esquire endorses: Nelson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jeff Fortenberry (R)

Maxine Moul (D)

Fortenberry has done little to distinguish himself from the party line. His opponent, a former Nebraska lieutenant governor, is an independent, like Nebraska. Esquire endorses: Moul

District 2

Lee Terry (R)

Jim Esch (D)

Like so many other Republicans this year, Terry appears to be pinning all his reelection hopes on a ruthless anti-immigration stance. It's ugly, cheap, and deeply cynical. Esquire endorses: Esch

District 3

Adrian Smith (R)

Scott Kleeb (D)

Smith has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Club for Growth, the radical antitax group bent on ruining America. His opponent, Kleeb, is a rancher, like so many of his would-be constituents. Esquire endorses: Kleeb

NEVADA

GOVERNOR

Jim Gibbons (R)

Dina Titus (D)

Gibbons, a congressman, is an idealogue who wears his ignorance proudly. Well, not too proudly--he was reluctant to debate state senator Titus, who would make a solid governor. Esquire endorses: Titus

SENATE

John Ensign (R)

Jack Carter (D)

Ensign's not the hardest-working senator, but he's forged a working relationship with Nevada's senior senator--Democratic leader Harry Reid--that works for the state. And to be honest, his opponent, son of the former president, is kind of a boob. Esquire endorses: Ensign

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Kenneth Wegner (R)

Shelley Berkley (D)

Berkley was first elected despite the revelation that she'd urged a casino developer to donate money to several judges in order to gain favor. But she's wised up, and her opponent is nothing but a Monday-morning "patriot." Esquire endorses: Berkley

District 2

Dean Heller (R)

Jill Derby (D)

As secretary of state for Nevada, Heller's been unusually active. His support of a system that protects the privacy of domestic-abuse victims from their abusers is particularly admirable. Esquire endorses: Heller

District 3

Jon Porter (R)

Tessa Hafen (D)

Fiscal conservatism and cultural liberalism is a recipe for practical (if not political) success in America, and Porter believes in both. Esquire endorses: Porter

NEW HAMPSHIRE

GOVERNOR

Jim Coburn (R)

John Lynch(D)

Lynch was elected by the narrowest of margins in 2004, campaigning on a platform of anticorruption bipartisan policies. He must be doing something right, because his approval rating in this sharply divided state is now near 80 percent. Esquire endorses: Lynch

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jeb Bradley (R)

Carol Shea-Porter (D)

Bradley's a popular, moderate conservative who's broken with the Bush administration on several major issues, including drilling in ANWR and embryonic-stem-cell research. There's no reason to replace him. Esquire endorses: Bradley

District 2

Charles Bass (R)

Paul Hodes (D)

Like his fellow New Hampshire representative, Bass is an independent centrist. He's particularly outspoken (for a Republican, anyway) on environmental issues and decries the administration's loosening of pollution standards and inaction on global warming. Esquire endorses: Bass

NEW JERSEY

SENATE

Tom Kean Jr. (R)

Robert Menendez (D)

Tom Kean Jr., son of the former New Jersey governor, is relying on his name and cheap attacks in his run to replace incumbent Menendez. Unfortunately, his charge that Menendez was involved in a major kickback scandal in the state in the early 1980s has proved not just exaggerated but blatantly untrue: Prosecutors from the case recall the then-28-year-old Menendez as being extraordinarily courageous in fingering both enemies and allies for their criminal activities. Esquire endorses: Menendez

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

No major-party opponent

Rob Andrews(D)

Andrews is one of the most active members in the House; it helps that he works both with and against the GOP majority. Esquire endorses: Andrews

District 2

Frank LoBiondo (R)

Viola Thomas-Hughes (D)

A hardworking, uncontroversial moderate conservative, LoBiondo reflects his district well. His experience gives him the edge over his anonymous opponent. Esquire endorses: LoBiondo

District 3

Jim Saxton (R)

Rich Sexton (D)

Anyone who, in defending the Bush tax cuts, calls the federal income tax "steeply progressive" opens himself to questions regarding his intellectual honesty. That said, Saxton has a history of bucking the GOP establishment, especially on environmental issues. Esquire endorses: Saxton

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

Carol Gay (D)

Smith's respect for life cuts both ways. On the one hand, he's an especially vocal opponent of abortion rights; on the other, he strongly opposes his party's cozy economic relations with nations (China, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia) widely known to abuse human rights. All in all, he comes out looking good. Esquire endorses: Smith

District 5

Scott Garrett (R)

Paul Aronsohn (D)

Scott Garrett is a reactionary who thinks government has no role, except, of course, to limit "un-Christian" behavior. It is quite honestly mind-boggling that he was ever elected in the first place, and in challenger Paul Aronsohn his constituents have a man worthy of representing them. Esquire endorses: Aronsohn

District 6

Leigh-Ann Bellew (R)

Frank Pallone (D)

You might get your ass kicked on the Jersey shore if you proclaimed yourself an environmentalist. But if you simply act like one, as Pallone has in opposing the dumping of medical and human waste off the New Jersey coast, you're apt to be well liked. His tough stance on crime only adds to his popularity. Esquire endorses: Pallone

District 7

Mike Ferguson (R)

Linda Stender (D)

Curiously, a large number of Catholic representatives now represent--and mirror the views of--WASP constituents. Such a man is Mike Ferguson, who supports prayer in school and a ban on abortions but is centrist on the environment. He fits his mandate. Esquire endorses: Ferguson

District 8

Jose Sandoval (R)

Bill Pascrell (D)

Pascrell is a hometown kid who works for his hometown--and nobody else. That's commendable in its own way. Esquire endorses: Pascrell

District 9

Vince Micco (R)

Steven Rothman (D)

Rothman doesn't have to work hard to be reelected in his Democratic district. But he's picked a few fights and won them, including his effort to protect the last remaining Meadowlands (not the stadium, but the species-rich estuary) from development. Esquire endorses: Rothman

District 10

No major-party opponent

Donald Payne(D)

As urban revitalization and international diplomacy became political lepers under the current administration, Donald Payne kept ministering to them. Which is his job. Esquire endorses: Payne

District 11

Rodney Frelinghuysen (R)

Tom Wyka (D)

The Bush family likes to tout its deep political roots, but they've got nothing on Frelinghuysen, whose folks have represented New Jersey since the 1800s. Perhaps because they've long stood for fiscal conservatism and social liberalism--two values that, in combination, describe most Americans. Esquire endorses: Frelinghuysen

District 12

Joseph Sinagra (R)

Rush Holt (D)

As a former research physicist and college professor, Holt is concerned that Congress does not get fair, unbiased information about scientific and technological advances. To that end, he's tried to reestablish a nonpartisan congressional agency to give representatives just that kind of knowledge. Esquire endorses: Holt

District 13

John Guarini (R)

Albio Sires (D)

When Robert Menendez was named now-governor-of-New-Jersey Jon Corzine's replacement in the Senate, a vicious fight to replace him in the House broke out among Democrats. Sires won. Esquire endorses: Sires

NEW MEXICO

GOVERNOR

John Dendahl (R)

Bill Richardson(D)

Richardson is one of the towering figures in American politics for a reason: because he plays the game like a master. And he certainly has executive aspirations beyond Santa Fe. Esquire endorses: Richardson

SENATE

Allen McCulloch (R)

Jeff Bingaman (D)

Bingaman is a quiet man; it's hard to believe he's held this office since 1982. But it's easy to understand when you see his track record of conservation and intelligent energy policy. Esquire endorses: Bingaman

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Heather Wilson (R)

Patricia Madrid (D)

Heather Wilson says Janet Jackson's tit made her cry. We call BS. In any case, on many other issues, she's relatively clear-eyed. Esquire endorses: Wilson

District 2

Steve Pearce (R)

Al Kissling (D)

Hopefully more Republicans will listen to Pearce on the immigration issue. He takes a pragmatic, nonpunitive, security-based line. Esquire endorses: Pearce

District 3

Ron Dolin (R)

Tom Udall (D)

Another of the Udall dynasty, Tom follows in his father's footsteps. He's conservationist, pro-labor, and wary of infringements on civil liberties. Good work, son. Esquire endorses: Udall

NEW YORK

GOVERNOR

John Faso (R)

Eliot Spitzer (D)

Spitzer, the current New York attorney general, is fast becoming a national star and is a deserved lock for his aggressive actions against corporate and political corruption. Some folks in Albany must be worried he'll stick to that habit as governor. Esquire endorses: Spitzer

SENATE

John Spencer (R)

Hillary Clinton (D)

See "9 Pillars of Congress," page 200. Esquire endorses: Clinton

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Italo Zanzi (R)

Tim Bishop (D)

District 2

John Bugler (R)

Steve Israel (D)

Another good fit for his district, Israel brings a former town councilman's pragmatism to the job, and a respect for religious tolerance--not surprising given the mix of Jews, Protestants, and, a recent addition, Catholic immigrants who make up his constituency. Esquire endorses: Israel

District 3

Peter King (R)

David Mejias (D)

In what's expected to be a hot election, seven-term incumbent King faces popular local legislator Mejias. King may have overstayed his welcome, or his district may have outgrown him; in any case, his veer from McCain Republicanism toward the Bush doctrine seems reactionary. Esquire endorses: Mejias

District 4

Marty Blessinger (R)

Carolyn McCarthy (D)

Ten years ago, after the murder of her husband, Carolyn McCarthy entered politics on a gun-control platform. She has focused on that, and on education and health-care issues, ever since. Esquire endorses: McCarthy

District 5

No major-party opponent

Gary Ackerman (D)

Ackerman could only have come from New York, and a man of his contradictions could really only represent Queens, the most diverse community in the nation. He's irascible, humorous, half-liberal, half-conservative--think of the mid-1970s Ed Koch, whom he resembles both politically and physically. Esquire endorses: Ackerman

District 6

No major-party opponent

Gregory Meeks(D)

A popular Democrat from a Democrat-owned district, Meeks could have become a rubber-stamp representative. He decided to do more, engaging in national and international relations with passion. Some believe he'll run for mayor of New York someday. Esquire endorses: Meeks

District 7

Kevin Brawley (R)

Joseph Crowley (D)

A politician since age 24, Crowley has taken advantage of his secure seat to devote himself to fundraising for his party and campaigning for fellow congressmen facing tougher elections. He also rightly opposed cuts in counterterrorism funding for New York. Esquire endorses: Crowley

District 8

Eleanor Friedman (R)

Jerrold Nadler (D)

An unabashed liberal representing unabashedly liberal Manhattan, Nadler also displays urban (and urbane) wisdom in his work supporting New York's economic infrastructure--including the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. Esquire endorses: Nadler

District 9

No major-party opponent

Anthony Weiner (D)

Weiner rose to local prominence with his impressive run for New York mayor in 2005. Since then he's worked quietly for his Brooklyn constituents, but he's a major behind-the-scenes force in the city--and, many predict, the nation someday. Esquire endorses: Weiner

District 10

Jonathan Anderson (R)

Edolphus Towns (D)

Towns has long bucked the black urban Democratic mold, often backing market-based rather than federal solutions to the problem of poverty. It takes a freethinking, not to mention gutsy, guy to back Rudy Giuliani in this district, as Towns did in 1997. Esquire endorses: Towns

District 11

Steve Finger (R)

Yvette Clarke (D)

This open seat, a Democratic lock, was decided in the primary, a race largely shaped by loyalties rather than values, so the endorsement of Yvette Clarke by Rep. Anthony Weiner means a lot. Esquire endorses: Clarke

District 12

Allan Romaguera (R)

Nydia Velazquez (D)

Velazquez represents her largely Puerto Rican district with the understanding and eloquence you'd expect of a former professor who grew up in Puerto Rico herself. There's no need to find a replacement. Esquire endorses: Velazquez

District 14

Danniel Maio (R)

Carolyn Maloney (D)

Maloney fits her district well, liberal on most issues but fiscally conservative. She's been particularly astute in her work on finance legislation. Esquire endorses: Maloney

District 15

Edward Daniels (R)

Charles Rangel (D)

Through economic ups and downs, wave upon wave of immigration and economic fiight, Charlie Rangel has represented his Harlem-centered district with a showman's flair and a politician's razor instincts. He can be rude, funny, bombastic, and self-deprecating--all at the same time--but he's never less than his own man. Esquire endorses: Rangel

District 16

Ali Mohamed (R)

Jose' Serrano (D)

A liberal of the truly leftist persuasion, Jose' Serrano could probably not be elected anywhere but his South Bronx district (well, perhaps San Francisco). He got 95 percent of the vote in his last run. Esquire endorses: Serrano

District 17

Jim Faulkner (R)

Eliot Engel (D)

Incumbent Engel has deftly represented his constituents (a Bronx-style gumbo of all races, ages, and political persuasions) since 1988. Neither pure Democrat nor pure Republican, he's something better: a rational representative who knows when to fight and when to negotiate. Esquire endorses: Engel

District 18

Richard Hoffman (R)

Nita Lowey (D)

A wealthy liberal representing a wealthy liberal district, Lowey supports most Democratic causes, leaning a little more to the right when it comes to Israel--though she's careful to distance herself from recent adventures in the Mideast. Esquire endorses: Lowey

District 19

Sue Kelly (R)

John Hall (D)

Incumbent Kelly, a moderate Republican (though a Gingrich protege'), has faced challenges from the left and the right throughout her career. This time she may become a victim of her own centrism. Her opponent is lefty John Hall of the band Orleans. Esquire endorses: Kelly

District 20

John Sweeney (R)

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

John Sweeney did his undistinguished career no favors by partying with students at Union College in April. And those nagging (and repeated) allegations of ethical lapses won't go away. His opponent is a lawyer with a distinguished career and a history of public-interest work. Esquire endorses: Gillibrand

District 21

Warren Redlich (R)

Michael McNulty (D)

McNulty is from Albany and of Albany, meaning he's the sort of streetwise, pro-union, pro-church Democrat that disappeared from most cities a generation ago. He doesn't shine, but he fits. Esquire endorses: McNulty

District 22

No major-party opponent

Maurice Hinchey (D)

Hinchey is one of the more liberal Democrats, and he mostly sticks to principle, sometimes in daring fashion: He was one of a handful of representatives to vote against a resolution of sympathy for 9/11 victims, criticizing the inclusion of language he considered biased toward the White House's antiterror efforts. Esquire endorses: Hinchey

District 23

John McHugh (R)

Bob Johnson (D)

A moderate Republican with a balanced view of the virtues of the pure free market, McHugh defends his constituents' economic interests without resorting to pork or to cumbersome trade policies. Esquire endorses: McHugh

District 24

Ray Meier (R)

Michael Arcuri (D)

It will be impossible to replace retiring Republican Sherwood Boehlert. Few representatives of either party have his intelligence and even fewer his principled independence of thought. Candidate Meier is a do-little member of the do-nothing New York statehouse; his vague policy statements suggest he'd do little in Washington, too. Candidate Arcuri, the Oneida County DA, has a record of leadership on law enforcement and drug control. Esquire endorses: Arcuri

District 25

Jim Walsh (R)

Dan Maffei (D)

Jim Walsh's prescription for his district's economic woes is a steady diet of bacon. His opponent, Dan Maffei, will be more creative: Only an original thinker could have served both Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Bill Bradley. Esquire endorses: Maffei

District 26

Tom Reynolds (R)

Jack Davis (D)

Tom Reynolds is heading the Republican reelection push this year, so he's a busy man. Luckily, his opponent is a "Democrat" who describes himself, in fact, as a Goldwater Republican--and a wealthy industrialist who supports protectionist economic policies. Get with the times, Jack. Esquire endorses: Reynolds

District 27

Michael McHale (R)

Brian Higgins (D)

In his hard-fought 2004 run, freshman representative Higgins was praised for being an effective, incorruptible member of the New York state assembly. Anywhere else, that's the minimum standard; here, it means you're a saint. Esquire endorses: Higgins

District 28

John Donnelly (R)

Louise Slaughter (D)

A scientist by training, Slaughter looks out for her Rochester constituents' research-based economy and led the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. Esquire endorses: Slaughter

District 29

Randy Kuhl(R)

Eric Massa (D)

Kuhl has lost the support of the unions that gave him his seat. Maybe that's due to his toeing of the anti-union party line in Washington, or maybe it's because he's just plain forgettable, while his opponent, Navy veteran Eric Massa, speaks eloquently on issues from the economy to the war. Esquire endorses: Massa

NORTH CAROLINA

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

No major-party opponent

G. K. Butterfield (D)

Butterfield, a former judge on North Carolina's Supreme Court, won his seat in a 2004 special election to replace retiring representative Frank Ballance (later convicted on fraud charges). Given that history, it's comforting to have a respected jurist in his place. Esquire endorses: Butterfield

District 2

Dan Mansell (R)

Bob Etheridge (D)

Etheridge is a Dixiecrat minus the racism. A moderate on most economic issues, he protects his tobacco interests, the flag, and late-term fetuses. Esquire endorses: Etheridge

District 3

Walter Jones (R)

Craig Weber (D)

District 4

David Price (D)

Baptist preacher, son of educators, political scientist, and author, incumbent Price tempers his Democratic values with a strong pragmatic streak. From making interest on student loans tax-deductible to legislation requiring politicians to verbally approve their campaign-ad messages, he's always pursued meaningful change over political expedience. Esquire endorses: Price

District 5

Virginia Foxx(R)

Roger Sharpe (D)

A 100 percent voting record on issues supported by the highly conservative Family Research Council earned Foxx its "True Blue Award." Pure red is more like it. Try thinking for yourself sometime, Virginia. Esquire endorses: Sharpe

District 6

Howard Coble (R)

Rory Blake (D)

Coble is a staunch conservative, genuinely antipork. But he has hit on a truly dangerous idea: legislation that would permit Congress to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a two-thirds majority. Not smart. Esquire endorses: Blake

District 7

Shirley Davis (R)

Mike McIntyre(D)

A conservative Blue Dog Democrat, McIntyre often finds himself allied with House Republicans, but his independence allows him to steer clear of their nods to the far right. Esquire endorses: McIntyre

District 8

Robin Hayes (R)

Larry Kissell (D)

Hayes insists Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11 and says people who disagree "must have looked in the wrong places." How about looking for a new congressman? Esquire endorses: Kissell

District 9

Sue Myrick (R)

Bill Glass (D)

Myrick groaned when the Bush tax cut was halved by her party, then berated her colleagues for failing to control the rising deficit. Okay. Esquire endorses: Glass

District 10

Patrick McHenry (R)

Richard Carsner (D)

Incumbent McHenry cites Jesse Helms as his role model. Incumbent McHenry cites Jesse Helms as his role model. Incumbent McHenry cites Jesse Helms as his role model. Esquire endorses: Carsner

District 11

Charles Taylor (R)

Heath Shuler (D)

Taylor and Shuler (yes, the former NFL quarterback) are remarkably similar on many issues; however, with regard to the Bush administration's more obvious failures, Taylor supports staying the course while Shuler proposes measured but meaningful changes. Esquire endorses: Shuler

District 12

Ada M. Fisher (R)

Melvin Watt (D)

Incumbent Watt is a strong defender of the right to privacy, even to the point that he voted against forced registration of sex offenders (a position he later renounced). He may sometimes go too far, but with the administration going too far in the opposite direction, a little balance is a good thing. Esquire endorses: Watt

District 13

Vernon Robinson (R)

Brad Miller (D)

It's almost irrelevant that incumbent Miller is a competent moderate. Because his opponent, Vernon Robinson, is completely bonkers. Seriously, do a Google search. Esquire endorses: Miller

NORTH DAKOTA

SENATOR

Dwight Grotberg (R)

Kent Conrad (D)

Conrad supports two things: balanced budgets and farm bills. It's not ambitious, and the farm stuff is only a local issue, but it's better than what his opponent offers and it's gotten him reelected for two decades. Esquire endorses: Conrad

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Matt Mechtel (R)

Earl Pomeroy (D)

Pomeroy's solidly centrist and really works only in support of his state's wider interests. He keeps close tabs on local issues and raises legislation to address them; in a heavily Republican state, he won by his widest margin ever in 2004. Esquire endorses: Pomeroy

OHIO

GOVERNOR

Ken Blackwell (R)

Ted Strickland (D)

Ken Blackwell is a religious and cultural reactionary, a supporter of absurd tax cuts for Ohio's wealthiest, and the overseer of the at least questionable if not illegal Ohio voting irregularities in the 2004 presidential elections--but he's black. Which makes all that okay! At least according to the GOP spin. The reality is that he should not be elected to anything by anybody. Meanwhile, his opponent is a moderate Democrat with a solid track record in Congress. Esquire endorses: Strickland

SENATE

Mike DeWine(R)

Sherrod Brown (D)

It appears likely that incumbent Republican Mike DeWine will lose his seat. If he does, he'll be an ironic victim of anti-Republican sentiment: He's one of the most intelligent, independent voices in his party. And he's broken with the White House in its campaign to withdraw the U. S. from the Geneva Conventions. Esquire endorses: DeWine

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Steve Chabot(R)

John Cranley (D)

Although more than willing to support religiously motivated social legislation, incumbent Chabot also sticks to a commendable but near-dead Republican principle: fiscal restraint. Esquire endorses: Chabot

District 2

Jean Schmidt (R)

Victoria Wulsin (D)

Jean Schmidt is a disaster. Esquire endorses: Wulsin

District 3

Mike Turner(R)

Richard Chema (D)

It's refreshing when a Republican endorses public-private partnerships to revive his deteriorated urban district, as Turner does, rather than trotting out the same old claptrap about the miracle of the market. Esquire endorses: Turner

District 4

Jim Jordan (R)

Richard Siferd (D)

Jim Jordan stands up for religious intolerance. Pardon us--we meant to say American values. But Ohio's fourth district was represented by a great centrist, Republican Michael Oxley, for the past 25 years--a tradition Jordan's opponent will honor. Esquire endorses: Siferd

District 5

Paul Gillmor (R)

Robin Weirauch (D)

Paul Gillmor is one of a dying breed: the congressman who rejects national politics in favor of what is best for his district. That includes shepherding a bill making it easier to redevelop urban brownfields and thus less attractive to sacrifice farmland to the bulldozer. Esquire endorses: Gillmor

District 6

Chuck Blasdel (R)

Charlie Wilson (D)

Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland is running for governor, leaving this seat open. Republican nominee Chuck Blasdel unwisely devotes much of his campaign to cheap attacks on Democratic nominee Charlie Wilson (i.e., Elect Wilson and Hola will become American for Hello. What an idiot). Esquire endorses: Wilson

District 7

David Hobson(R)

Bill Conner (D)

Though no foe of the administration, incumbent Hobson has bucked the White House line when it failed to serve his constituents' interests. In this day and age, that's impressive. Esquire endorses: Hobson

District 8

John Boehner (R)

Mort Meier (D)

See "The Worst Members of Congress," page 199. Esquire endorses: Meier

District 9

Bradley S. Leavitt (R)

Marcy Kaptur (D)

Here's a tip for a first-time candidate: Distinguish yourself from your opponent, don't merely parrot her jobs-protection advocacy. Kaptur may be an anachronism, but her quarter century of experience in the House is a huge asset. Esquire endorses: Kaptur

District 10

Mike Dovilla (R)

Dennis Kucinich (D)

Every court needs a jester. But Democratic jesters like Kucinich, in their favor, tend not to be hawkish and venal. Esquire endorses: Kucinich

District 11

Lindsey String (R)

Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D)

Tubbs Jones, the incumbent, isn't a creative representative, but she does serve the needs of her constituents. And she's an eloquent speaker, a real asset to her party. Esquire endorses: Tubbs Jones

District 12

Pat Tiberi (R)

Bob Shamansky (D)

Respect your elders: Bob Shamansky, 79 and a former congressman, decided to get back into politics after suffering through the Bush Medicare reform. "You couldn't have a more antimarket provision," he said of the Bush plan's abdication of price-bargaining rights. Sounds good, as does his intelligent criticism of the war--especially against his forgettable opponent. Esquire endorses: Shamansky

District 13

Craig Foltin (R)

Betty Sutton (D)

Incumbent Sherrod Brown is running for the Senate, leaving his seat open. It comes down to a race between a local small-town mayor and a former state representative. We'll go with the latter, not only for her experience but because she fits the district better. Esquire endorses: Sutton

District 14

Steve LaTourette (R)

Lew Katz (D)

What do you call an affair-having, Abramoff-linked reactionary? Gone. Don't let the door hit you on your way out, Steve. Esquire endorses: Katz

District 15

Deborah Pryce(R)

Mary Jo Kilroy (D)

On the other hand, what do you call a fiscally conservative, socially liberal Republican? A representative of the average American. And someone who deserves to stick around. Esquire endorses: Pryce

District 16

Ralph Regula(R)

Tom Shaw (D)

Ralph Regula, 81, is a congressional veteran, having served since 1972. But his challenger, Thomas Shaw, a United Methodist minister and first-time candidate, is remarkably attuned to the realities of politics--both strategic and practical. It's hard to vote against an old soldier, but in this case new blood will be a good thing. Esquire endorses: Shaw

District 17

Don Manning (R)

Tim Ryan (D)

Tim Ryan represents Youngs-town. And following, as he did, in the footsteps of the spectacularly corrupt (and now jailed) Jim Traficant, he's been a very pleasant surprise: hardworking, informed, imaginative, and well-spoken. And optimistic--a meaningful thing in a district still afflicted by Traficant's corruption. But Ryan, watch the funny campaign contributions. Esquire endorses: Ryan

District 18

Joy Padgett (R)

Zack Space (D)

Bob Ney, the erstwhile incumbent, recently pled guilty to charges related to the Abramoff affair. Padgett is his handpicked successor. She may be pure as the driven snow, but the stench must be cleared. Esquire endorses: Space

OKLAHOMA

GOVERNOR

Ernest Istook (R)

Brad Henry (D)

This one won't be close, for good reason. Incumbent Henry has cut taxes, increased education spending, and strengthened his state's health-care system. His opponent is big on family values or something. Esquire endorses: Henry

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

John Sullivan (R)

Alan Gentges (D)

Sullivan is no brilliant legislator, but he works hard for his constituents. His strict conservatism, however, isn't a perfect fit for this mixed district, and if the challenger were more credible, this endorsement would be different. Esquire endorses: Sullivan

District 2

Patrick Miller (R)

Dan Boren (D)

A self-described "very conservative Democrat" who voted for many of Bush's most partisan policies, Boren not surprisingly faces only token Republican opposition in this race. Esquire endorses: Boren

District 3

Frank Lucas (R)

Sue Barton (D)

Incumbent Lucas's work on incentive-based ranch-land conservation marks him as a creative legislator, and his opposition to the White House's "intelligence czar" on separation-of-powers grounds marks him as an independent one. Esquire endorses: Lucas

District 4

Tom Cole (R)

Hal Spake (D)

Tom Cole placed all his chips in the Bush basket, serving as RNC chief of staff in 2000 and, infamously, calling a Bush loss a bin Laden victory in 2004. He deserves to get the chop--a judgment made easier by the shining credentials and democratic (small d) principles of his opponent, Hal Spake. Esquire endorses: Spake

District 5

Mary Fallin (R)

David Hunter (D)

Fallin is a family-values mouthpiece and little more. Her opponent, surgeon David Hunter, is new to politics but sounds like a pro. Informed, measured, and realistic, he possesses qualities sorely lacking in Congress right now. Esquire endorses: Hunter

OREGON

GOVERNOR

Ron Saxton (R)

Ted Kulongoski (D)

Oregon is sharply divided politically, making Kulongoski's record of bipartisan success all the more impressive. He's a details man, not a sweeping reformer. Esquire endorses: Kulongoski

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Derrick Kitts (R)

David Wu (D)

Incumbent Wu was a member of the New Democrats during the Clinton era, and he's stuck with their principles: free-market promotion, government downsizing, and environmental protection. Esquire endorses: Wu

District 2

Greg Walden (R)

Carol Voisin (D)

Walden is fiscally conservative and socially moderate, and his legislation addresses local needs, one of which is to curb the sale of legal drugs that can be converted to crystal meth. Esquire endorses: Walden

District 3

Bruce Broussard (R)

Earl Blumenauer (D)

Blumenauer is a loyal Democrat, but his passion is for people-friendly urban development and environment-friendly public works. He's a leader on both issues. Esquire endorses: Blumenauer

District 4

Jim Feldkamp (R)

Peter DeFazio (D)

He's a quirky politician, but DeFazio's nothing if not suited to his district, a mix of back-to-the-landers, ranchers and loggers, and yuppies. Esquire endorses: DeFazio

District 5

Mike Erickson (R)

Darlene Hooley (D)

Hooley will likely win this mixed district again, largely due to her greater name recognition. Esquire endorses: Hooley

PENNSYLVANIA

GOVERNOR

Lynn Swann (R)

Ed Rendell (D)

Ed Rendell, the first "America's Mayor," has had a harder time fixing Pennsylvania's woes than he did Philadelphia's--though a lot of the blame falls to the Republican-controlled statehouse. And despite efforts to thwart him, he's tackled increased education funding and property-tax relief since taking office in 2003. Esquire endorses: Rendell

SENATE

Rick Santorum(R)

Bob Casey (D)

See "The Worst Members of Congress," page 199. Esquire endorses: Casey

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

No major-party opponent

Bob Brady(D)

Bob Brady faces no opposition, and not for the right reasons. He rules the Philadelphia Democratic machine with an iron fist, most often for the benefit of entrenched interests. It's a style appropriate to another city--Chicago, say--and another era, the 1930s. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please .

District 2

Michael Gessner (R)

Chaka Fattah (D)

The only way to end poverty is to raise a generation of well-educated kids, and Chaka Fattah, who represents a poor and largely minority district, has made farsighted, results-oriented education reform his priority in Congress. That's grade-A work. Esquire endorses: Fattah

District 3

Phil English (R)

Steve Porter (D)

It takes smarts, centrist principles, and a pragmatic approach to economic policy to be elected as a Republican in a solidly blue-collar district. Phil English has done so six times in a row. Esquire endorses: English

District 4

Melissa Hart (R)

Jason Altmire (D)

Want to see Rick Santorum in a dress? Check out Melissa Hart on the campaign trail. Esquire endorses: Altmire

Don Hilliard (D)

District 6

Jim Gerlach(R)

Lois Murphy (D)

What's the difference between a moderate conservative and a moderate liberal? Very little, except that in this case the conservative has the strength of Capitol Hill experience. Esquire endorses: Gerlach

District 7

Curt Weldon (R)

Joe Sestak (D)

Incumbent Curt Weldon was once one of the leading House experts on foreign, defense, and security policies. Then in 2005, he published a book citing a secret source named Ali and detailing a terrorist plot Weldon said the CIA was ignoring. Then earlier this year Weldon said that Ali had told him that Osama bin Laden had died in Iran. A few weeks later, a new tape of bin Laden, quite alive, was released. This has all been a lot of fun. Weldon's opponent, a retired Navy admiral, inspires much greater confidence. Esquire endorses: Sestak

District 8

Mike Fitzpatrick (R)

Patrick Murphy (D)

First-term incumbent Fitzpatrick has made a name for himself as one of Congress's most independent Republicans. Challenger Murphy's experiences in the military, law, and education make the race in District 8 one of the better lineups of the year.

District 9

Bill Shuster (R)

Tony Barr (D)

District 10

Don Sherwood (R)

Chris Carney (D)

In his four terms in Congress, Sherwood has become known for two things: doing virtually nothing as a legislator and settling an assault lawsuit, filed by a woman with whom he had a five-year affair, out of court for an undisclosed sum. Esquire endorses: Carney

District 11

Joseph Leonardi (R)

Paul Kanjorski(D)

Incumbent Kanjorski has been described by The New York Times as a "master of earmarking," better known as a pork farmer. This got him into trouble a few years ago when he got 7.5 million taxpayer dollars for a company partly owned by members of his family. Esquire endorses: Leonardi

District 12

Diana Irey (R)

John Murtha (D)

One of the first Democrats to openly attack the disastrous planning of the war in Iraq, Murtha's moral authority as a veteran provides a much-needed counterbalance to the ideological posturing favored by the White House. Esquire endorses: Murtha

District 13

Raj Bhakta (R)

Allyson Schwartz (D)

Republican challenger Raj Bhakta's one claim to fame is for being a contestant on The Apprentice. (His two DUI arrests have garnered less attention.) That's just not good enough--particularly when your opponent is considered one of the best communicators in Congress. Esquire endorses: Schwartz

Mike Doyle(D)

District 15

Charlie Dent (R)

Charles Dertinger (D)

Largely forgotten amid the right-wing revolution of the past six years is the fact that the majority of Republicans--both voters and politicians--are social and fiscal moderates. Freshman Charlie Dent is one of their best. Esquire endorses: Dent

District 16

Joe Pitts(R)

Lois Herr (D)

Joe Pitts would have made a good deacon. As a congressman, he's a sad caricature of the extreme right-wing ideal, seeing damnation and hellfire behind every left-of-Falwell piece of legislation. Esquire endorses: Herr

District 17

Matt Wertz (R)

Tim Holden(D)

Low-key, devoted to his constituents, and centrist on most issues, incumbent Tim Holden is nobody's picture of a Washington insider. But for 14 years he's worked the national backstage skillfully. Esquire endorses: Holden

District 18

Tim Murphy (R)

Chad Kluko (D)

Who is Tim Murphy? He's a guy who puts out lots of press releases about what he supports. Little of which is noteworthy. Esquire endorses: Kluko

District 19

Todd Platts (R)

Phil Avillo (D)

Funny how advocates of government accountability get cold feet when the auditor looks their way. Todd Platts is one of only 20 Republican representatives who voted against a bill requiring greater disclosure of lobbyists' activities. Esquire endorses: Avillo

RHODE ISLAND

GOVERNOR

Donald Carcieri (R)

Charlie Fogarty (D)

Somewhat surprisingly, this will be a tight race. Carcieri's popular and effective; his only weakness is living in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. Esquire endorses: Carcieri

SENATE

Lincoln Chafee (R)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D)

In his primary, Chafee was strongly opposed by the Club for Growth, the radical antitax group bent on ruining America. That should be enough to earn him every sane Rhode Islander's vote. Esquire endorses: Chafee

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jon Scott (R)

Patrick Kennedy (D)

Kennedy has had his share of embarrassing moments--what Kennedy hasn't?--but he's a hardworking and decent representative. Esquire endorses: Kennedy

District 2

No major-party opponent

Jim Langevin (D)

Langevin excels at all aspects of his job, and his pro-life, pro-labor Catholicism has deep roots in the area's politics. Esquire endorses: Langevin

SOUTH CAROLINA

GOVERNOR

Mark Sanford (R)

Tommy Moore (D)

Incumbent Sanford promised to avoid politics as usual when he was elected in 2002, and in a strict sense he's delivered, vetoing hundreds of state-legislature bills he considered laden with pork. However, most of the vetoes were overridden. It's a popular tactic, but not a productive one, and it's wearing thin. Esquire endorses: Moore

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Henry Brown (R)

Randy Maatta (D)

Brown is forgettable, his legislation unambitious and often cheaply "patriotic." His opponent is at least engaged enough to sound angry. He's also an expert on the federal budget--smart for a guy who promises to balance it. Esquire endorses: Maatta

District 2

A. G. "Joe" Wilson (R)

Michael Ray Ellisor (D)

Wilson, a strict conservative, has demonstrated little initiative or independence in his two terms in Congress. His opponent, a moderate Dem, is pragmatic, informed, and attuned to local needs--qualities that, last time around, garnered him 93,000 votes in this red district. Esquire endorses: Ellisor

District 3

Gresham Barrett (R)

Lee Ballenger (D)

Barrett has sponsored a bill to ban immigration to the U. S. from any "terrorist state." Way to win hearts and minds, bro. Esquire endorses: Ballenger

District 4

Bob Inglis (R)

William Griffith (D)

See "9 Pillars of Congress," page 200. Esquire endorses: Inglis

District 5

Ralph Norman (R)

John Spratt(D)

It's a wonder Spratt isn't a household name. One of the top experts in Congress on defense and weapons systems, both parties turn to him for advice. He's budget-minded, practical, and welcomes debate. And he's considered one of the hardest-working representatives in the House. Esquire endorses: Spratt

District 6

Gary McLeod (R)

James Clyburn (D)

A veteran of the civil-rights movement, Clyburn still considers those rights one of his priorities. He's also a linchpin in South Carolina's presidential-primary politics. Esquire endorses: Clyburn

SOUTH DAKOTA

GOVERNOR

Mike Rounds (R)

Jack Billion (D)

Mike Rounds is a hard-line religious conservative; Jack Billion is a pragmatic cultural conservative. The difference between these two outlooks is significant, and it favors Billion. Esquire endorses: Billion

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Bruce Whalen (R)

Stephanie Herseth(D)

Herseth did the unthinkable twice in 2004: won elections as a Democrat in a deeply red state. Her mix of political intelligence and personal charm did the trick, and she's quickly becoming a party leader. Esquire endorses: Herseth

TENNESSEE

GOVERNOR

Jim Bryson (R)

Phil Bredesen (D)

After two highly successful terms as Nashville's mayor, Phil Bredesen took over a state government hobbled by huge budget deficits and partisan stonewalling--and managed to fix both problems. Stunning work by a Democrat in a deep-red state. Esquire endorses: Bredesen

SENATE

Bob Corker (R)

Harold Ford Jr. (D)

Bill Frist is retiring as senator. Republican candidate Bob Corker is faithfully regurgitating the White House's reelection script and is embroiled in a corruption scandal. Ford, meanwhile, actually has ideas of his own--and ten years in Congress that prove they work. Esquire endorses: Ford

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional Distict 1

David Davis (R)

Rick Trent (D)

This area hasn't elected a Democrat since 1881. But the Democratic candidate in this year's race, Rick Trent, shares most of Republican David Davis's conservative values--and adds to them a genuine compassion. Isn't this the sort of man we thought we elected in 2000? Esquire endorses: Trent

District 3

Zach Wamp (R)

Brent Benedict (D)

Zach Wamp, on the other hand, is a textbook example of the modern Republican: talking small government and "values" while keeping his hand in the ever-richer GOP till. Esquire endorses: Benedict

District 4

Ken Martin (R)

Lincoln Davis(D)

Centrist Lincoln Davis made one of the most sarcastic House speeches in recent memory during the cynical GOP push for a gay-marriage ban. If Congress is serious about protecting the sanctity of marriage, he said, it ought to outlaw divorce and make adultery a crime. His larger point: Congress has bigger things to worry about than what goes on in people's bedrooms. Esquire endorses: Davis

District 5

Tom Kovach (R)

Jim Cooper (D)

Incumbent Cooper, a former investor, would like Congress to use the U. S. Financial Report, not the president's budget, in preparing its annual spending bills. The latter looks only at cash flow; the former considers outstanding debt and future interest payments as well. That's sound policy. Esquire endorses: Cooper

District 6

David Davis (R)

Bart Gordon (D)

A middle-of-the-road Democrat in a district that has favored his kind since before the Civil War, Bart Gordon is the right man for this particular job. Esquire endorses: Gordon

District 7

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Morrison (D)

Pro-life, pro-gun, pro-military, and a relentlessly negative campaigner, it's no surprise that Blackburn is also one of the chief authors of the Republican message of the past few years. We heard it loud and clear. Esquire endorses: Morrison

District 8

John Farmer (R)

John Tanner (D)

Veteran incumbent John Tanner turned down the opportunity to replace Al Gore as senator in 1992 in order to continue serving his local constituents. He's since become one of the strongest bipartisan bridge-builders in Congress, without losing his core Democratic identity. Esquire endorses: Tanner

District 9

Mark White (R)

Steve Cohen (D)

Jake Ford (I)

With Harold Ford Jr. running for the Senate, this seat is open. His younger brother Jake is running as an independent--and name recognition alone makes him one of the few viable candidates outside the major parties this cycle. But Cohen, a state senator, has a vast edge in experience. Esquire endorses: Cohen

UTAH

SENATE

Orrin Hatch (R)

Pete Ashdown (D)

Orrin Hatch is less the far-right firebrand than he used to be, and he has shown admirable independence on stem-cell research. In fact, he's become something of a bipartisan ambassador. Yeah, we're surprised, too. Esquire endorses: Hatch

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Rob Bishop (R)

Steve Olsen (D)

District 2

LaVar Christensen (R)

Jim Matheson (D)

This is a race between a right-wing Republican challenger and a centrist Democratic incumbent. It will be close, as usual, but Matheson's the better fit for this diverse district. Esquire endorses: Matheson

District 3

Chris Cannon (R)

Christian Burridge (D)

Cannon's the rare Republican from the West who sounds sane on the issue of immigration. He'll be a valuable voice of reason in the impending debates. Esquire endorses: Cannon

VERMONT

GOVERNOR

Jim Douglas (R)

Scudder Parker (D)

Incumbent Douglas has been a solid governor. Challenger Parker would be a solid one, too. The former's experience breaks the tie. Esquire endorses: Douglas

SENATE

Rich Tarrant (R)

Bernie Sanders (I/D)

Independent but left-leaning senator Jim Jeffords is retiring. He was extremely popular here, as is Bernie Sanders. Esquire endorses: Sanders

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Martha Rainville (R)

Peter Welch (D)

The war in Iraq will be a big issue in this race, but so will local service. Welch matches the local antiwar mood, and he's been a state senator for years. Esquire endorses: Welch

VIRGINIA

SENATE

George Allen (R)

James Webb (D)

Forget the fact that James Webb, former secretary of the Navy, decorated Vietnam veteran, diplomat, journalist, and expert on veterans' affairs, is eminently more qualified than incumbent George Allen to comment on this year's hot topic, the Iraq war (which Webb opposed from day one). Focus on this instead: Allen recently referred to an Indian-American member of Webb's campaign team as "macaca." Twice. On camera. Macaca being a slur meaning "monkey," often used by white supremacists. Allen pleads ignorance. Well, exactly. Esquire endorses: Webb

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Jo Ann Davis (R)

Shawn O'Donnell (D)

It took two hurricanes--Isabel, which hurt Virginia, and then Katrina--for Davis to realize that FEMA became a broken agency under the Bush administration. But when she did, she sponsored a bill calling for it to become an independent agency with a Cabinet-level leader. Smart gal. Esquire endorses: Davis

District 2

Thelma Drake(R)

Phil Kellam (D)

War is the issue in this military-rich district. (Half a dozen bases are within its borders.) Drake holds to the "We're winning, and voicing doubt is pro-terrorist" line, while at the same time distancing herself from an administration she rarely did anything but support. Kellam's rational analysis of the Iraq situation looks better all the time. Esquire endorses: Kellam

District 3

No major-party opponent

Bobby Scott (D)

A liberal Democrat with a strong record defending civil liberties, Scott has nonetheless managed to create a few fruitful partnerships with a GOP eager to shed its anti-minority image. Esquire endorses: Scott

District 4

Randy Forbes(R)

No major-party opponent

Redistricting in 2001 made this a safe Republican seat, but even when it was evenly split between the parties, Forbes hewed to an inflexible conservative line. You can take your pick from his grab bag of ignorant views. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please.

District 5

Virgil Goode(R)

Al Weed (D)

Anti-immigrant, pro-gun, pro-tobacco, pro-pork: That's Virginia populism. It used to be Dixiecratic, now it's Republican--and so is Virgil Goode, who switched parties in 2002. Esquire endorses: Weed

District 6

Bob Goodlatte (R)

No major-party opponent

Goodlatte is hardly an independent, but he focuses mostly on issues close to his constituents' needs--often related to agriculture. This has made him a good chairman of the Agriculture Committee. Esquire endorses: Goodlatte

District 7

Eric Cantor (R)

Jim Nachman (D)

District 8

Tom O'Donoghue (R)

Jim Moran (D)

Ethical issues related to influence peddling have dogged Moran throughout his political career. He faithfully supports liberal causes, but one has to wonder about his motives. And his abrasive tone and sharp tongue don't help matters. Esquire endorses: O'Donoghue

District 9

C. W. "Bill" Carrico (R)

Rick Boucher (D)

Boucher is the definition of a hardworking hometown politician, which in his district means being flexible (and informed) enough to protect coal miners and promote high-tech industry. He's also led the fight against recording-industry copyright "protections" that infringe on consumers' rights; if you own an iPod, you owe this man. Esquire endorses: Boucher

District 11

Tom Davis (R)

Andy Hurst (D)

Davis serves his mixed-race, mixed-income district with appropriately centrist views. He's also one of the sharpest students of American politics in the House. Esquire endorses: Davis

WASHINGTON

SENATE

Mike McGavick (R)

Maria Cantwell(D)

Washington is a state of fierce political divides: The left is far left and the right is far right. But moderate Maria Cantwell's experience in the high-tech industry makes her right for the state's present and future economy. Esquire endorses: Cantwell

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Larry Ishmael (R)

Jay Inslee (D)

Appropriate for his suburban-Seattle district, Inslee is liberal on social and defense issues and a bit more conservative on economics, with a special eye for protecting the interests of high-tech producers and consumers. Esquire endorses: Inslee

District 2

Doug Roulstone (R)

Rick Larsen (D)

Moderate Democrat Rick Larsen on his problem with how Iraq has been discussed in Congress, by both parties: "If I could bottle self-righteous indignation and sell it for ten bucks a bottle, I could retire." Well put. Esquire endorses: Larsen

District 3

Michael Messmore (R)

Brian Baird (D)

In a mixed district that voted for Bush both times, Baird wins by comfortable margins thanks to his attentive watch over local economic initiatives. Esquire endorses: Baird

District 4

Doc Hastings(R)

Richard Wright (D)

A strong conservative from Washington's most conservative district, Doc Hastings has been a loyal party man. But even Democrats have praised his fairness as chairman of the House Ethics Committee. Esquire endorses: Hastings

District 5

Cathy McMorris(R)

Peter Goldmark (D)

McMorris is a rubber stamp for White House policies. Her opponent is a rancher, Harvard-trained microbiologist, and moderate Democrat. No contest. Esquire endorses: Goldmark

District 6

Doug Cloud (R)

Norm Dicks (D)

Norm Dicks is one of the old bulls in the House, never running when he can walk--and always getting exactly where he needs to go, exactly when he needs to be there. Socially liberal, he's a realist on defense, and his district's main employer, Boeing, always gets a slice of that pie. Esquire endorses: Dicks

District 7

Steve Beren (R)

Jim McDermott (D)

McDermott is one of the most liberal, least tactful members of Congress; this is the man who called Saddam Hussein more credible than George Bush. Just because John Boehner says this kind of garbage about Democrats doesn't make it right for a Democrat to say it about the president. In protest, we endorse the Republican. Esquire endorses: Beren

District 8

Dave Reichert(R)

Darcy Burner (D)

Dave Reichert, a freshman, took $20,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC to fund his 2004 campaign, and then voted to dramatically limit the Ethics Committee's abilities to investigate representatives' misconduct. This from a former cop? Esquire endorses: Burner

District 9

Steve Cofchin (R)

Adam Smith (D)

Smith is an independent within his party and more supportive of market-based solutions than many of his fellow Democrats--fitting for a man with his name. Esquire endorses: Smith

WEST VIRGINIA

John Raese (R)

Robert Byrd (D)

Good luck, Mr. Raese. You're running against the savviest, fightingest, longest-standing senator in American history. That he's also one of the few with the guts to call the war in Iraq, since before it began, what it is--a strategic failure--only adds to his stature. Esquire endorses: Byrd

District 2

Shelley Moore Capito (R)

Mike Callaghan (D)

Republicans are terrified they'll lose this district, and with good reason: The administration's trade and labor policies are rarely in its best interest. Capito has relied on rhetoric, and that's not good enough when the deficit's soaring and the soldiers are dying. Esquire endorses: Callaghan

District 3

Kim Wolfe (R)

Nick Rahall(D)

As President Bush was carrying this district in 2004, Rahall was beating him, winning reelection with 65 percent. That speaks volumes about his worth to his constituents. Esquire endorses: Rahall

WISCONSIN

GOVERNOR

Mark Green (R)

Jim Doyle(D)

You know the supposedly small-government Republican candidate is getting desperate when he calls the incumbent Democrat's trimming of state payrolls "downsizing" and says he won't cut jobs himself. Frankly, given Doyle's track record--balancing the state budget, reducing the deficit, forging bipartisan agreement, and earning the support of big business and unions alike--it's amazing this race is close at all. Wisconsin would be crazy to replace him. Esquire endorses: Doyle

SENATE

Robert Gerard Lorge (R)

Herb Kohl(D)

Kohl is the rare politician who doesn't like the sound of his own voice. A shy, earnest man, he seeks the center-left on national issues and economically beneficial legislation at home. Esquire endorses: Kohl

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Congressional District 1

Paul Ryan(R)

Jeff Thomas (D)

One of the leading fiscal conservatives in the House, Ryan was stymied by both parties when he tried to make it illegal to spend money freed by one budget cut on other budgets or earmarks. Typical. Esquire endorses: Ryan

District 2

Dave Magnum (R)

Tammy Baldwin (D)

A Madison liberal to her core, Baldwin--the first openly gay person to be elected to the House--has made a particular issue of expanding hate-crime legislation to include attacks motivated by the victim's gender, sexual orientation, or disability. But she's primarily known as a consummately skilled negotiator and campaigner. Esquire endorses: Baldwin

District 3

Paul Nelson (R)

Ron Kind (D)

A moderate in a union district, Kind has managed to balance his free-trade leanings with justiflably angry calls for the terms of U. S. free-trade agreements to be enforced, particularly when signatory nations manipulate their currencies to unfair advantage. Esquire endorses: Kind

District 4

Perfecto Rivera (R)

Gwen Moore (D)

Incumbent Gwen Moore has done nothing except grandstand to her largely African-American district. Even more disappointing (not to mention suspicious), her son was convicted of slashing the tires of several GOP vans on Election Day in 2004. Her constituents are underrepresented enough; they need someone of action, not empty words. Esquire endorses: Rivera

District 5

Jim Sensenbrenner (R)

Bryan Kennedy (D)

A stickler on legal and ethical issues, particularly with regard to civil rights, Sensenbrenner has been a huge thorn in the side of the Bush administration over domestic surveillance. Esquire endorses: Sensenbrenner

District 6

Tom Petri (R)

John Curry (D)

Moderate to the point that he was passed over for a junior but more obedient Republican for Education and Workforce chairman in 2000, Petri didn't learn his lesson: he's still independent minded. Esquire endorses: Petri

District 7

Nick Reid (R)

Dave Obey (D)

First elected in 1969, Dave Obey has parlayed his Keynesian economic outlook and rootsy, little-guy-first progressive liberalism into one of the longest careers of any current representative. He'll extend it in November, and deserves to. Esquire endorses: Obey

District 8

John Gard (R)

Steve Kagen (D)

Incumbent Republican Mark Green is running for governor. His seat will be viciously contested, and the fact that it's a marginal Republican district may deliver it to moderate Democrat Steve Kagen. It should. Esquire endorses: Kagen

WYOMING

GOVERNOR

Ray Hunkins (R)

Dave Freudenthal (D)

Rising mineral and oil prices have handed Wyoming a windfall in recent years, and incumbent Freudenthal has invested it wisely, in education and in rainy-day funds. That's smart management. Esquire endorses: Freudenthal

SENATE

Craig Thomas (R)

Dale Groutage (D)

If there's a textbook example of reactionary conservatism in the Senate, it's Craig Thomas. It would appear that he considers government good for one thing: building weapons. Otherwise, he votes to slash and burn. Esquire endorses: Groutage

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative-at-Large

Barbara Cubin (R)

Gary Trauner (D)

Cubin is a virtual nonentity in Congress, routinely missing votes and rarely sponsoring ambitious legislation. Her opponent is smart, outgoing, practical, and eager to work. And his stance on partisan politics--that it hurts the people to the benefit of politicians--is true and rings as sincere. Easy choice. Esquire endorses: Trauner =

California

A nation unto itself, California is America squared. Here, everything is greatly exaggerated: Conservatives are much too conservative; liberals are way too liberal. Virtue is in abundance; corruption is spectacular. As elsewhere, incumbents are reelected with discouraging regularity. But this year some races warrant special attention.

GOVERNOR >> Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Phil Angelides (D) While we strongly disagree with the way he came to power--recalls are wasteful and disruptive--Arnold has shown signs that he learns from his mistakes, he's sane on immigration, he's put California far ahead of the rest of the country by approving dramatic new goals for curbing greenhouse gases, and he had one of the best political ideas of the past couple years--taking redistricting away from the legislature to make it a less poisonous process. There's no reason to make a change in Sacramento. Esquire endorses: Schwarzenegger

SENATE >> Dick Mountjoy (R) Dianne Feinstein (D) No one's idea of a liberal Democrat, Feinstein is attacked by the right and the left in equal measure. That alone is not qualification for reelection, but her serious approach to the job and her intelligence make this is an easy decision. Esquire endorses: Feinstein

D 2 >> Wally Herger (R) A. J. Sekhon (D) For someone who has been in Congress for 20 years, Herger seems not to do much more than issue posturing press releases. His opponent is an MD and an Army Reservist. Esquire endorses: Sekhon

D 6 >> Todd Hooper (R) Lynn Woolsey (D) Woolsey describes herself as the first former welfare mother to be elected to Congress. She has forged a bond with her district that will be hard to break. Esquire endorses: Woolsey

D 10 >> Darcy Linn (R) Ellen Tauscher (D) Linn is a poor candidate. Especially compared with the accomplished Tauscher, who is a social liberal and a fiscal conservative, like California. Esquire endorses: Tauscher

D 11 >> Richard Pombo (R) Jerry McNerney (D) Pombo is a rancher who is up to his hindquarters in the dirty money that has swamped several California Republicans. How bad is he? His two Republican primary opponents have endorsed his Democratic opponent, and so do we. Esquire endorses: McNerney

D 12 >> Michael Moloney (R) Tom Lantos (D) Esquire endorses: Lantos

D 13 >> George Bruno (R) Pete Stark (D) Esquire endorses: Bruno

D 14 >> Rob Smith (R) Anna Eshoo (D) If your Spam problem is under control, thank Eshoo. The congresswoman from Silicon Valley was one of the first to raise the issue. Esquire endorses: Eshoo

D 41 >> Jerry Lewis (R) Louie Contreras (D) A classic pay-to-play politician, Lewis, as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, is being investigated for steering hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts to clients of his good friend, lobbyist and former congressman Bill Lowery. Lowery and his firm then rewarded Lewis with hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions. Lewis also has a way of spawning lobbyists from his staff and then steering business their way. It is a terrible disservice to this district, and to the country, that Lewis doesn't have more serious opposition. Esquire endorses: Contreras

D 50 >> Brian Bilbray (R) Francine Busby (D) Until last year, this seat was held by Duke Cunningham, the most corrupt member of Congress in history. He is now in prison, and his party has forfeit any claim to this seat.

Esquire endorses: Busby

D 51 >> Blake Miles (R) Bob Filner (D) Esquire endorses: Filner

D 52 >> Duncan Hunter (R) John Rinaldi (D) Esquire endorses: Rinaldi

D 53 >> John Woodrum (R) Susan Davis (D) Esquire endorses: Davis

Because of space constraints, some districts have been abridged here. For full California endorsements, please go to esquire.com/keystates.

Florida

A wonderfully weird place, Florida is as varied a state as exists in the country, spanning from the so-called Redneck Riviera of the upper Gulf coast to the Space Coast on the Atlantic side to retired New Yorkers in Lauderdale to the southernmost part of the state, where the politics is still dictated by every breath the dictator draws in Havana.

GOVERNOR >> Charlie Crist (R) Jim Davis (D) He's a favorite target of the left wing, who suspect he engineered his brother's Florida win in 2000, but retiring governor Jeb Bush balanced business promotion with environmental protection and fiscal restraint with social centrism, and promoted education policies that made few concessions to that issue's fringe elements--evangelical Christians and the teachers' union. The candidate most likely to replicate this commendable record is the Democrat. Esquire endorses: Davis

SENATE >> Katherine Harris (R) Bill Nelson (D) Katherine Harris is a twofer: a) a poster child for the ingratitude of the Bush family (how quickly they forget) and b) a thorough nut. In her craven desperation, she recently said that the separation of church and state is a "lie we've been told" and that "God is the one who chooses our rulers." Really, Katherine, one mustn't blame God. Esquire endorses: Nelson

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 >> Jeff Miller (R) Joe Roberts (D) With miles of gorgeous Gulf coast in his district, Miller bucks the party line on oil drilling--opposing it in Florida waters--and on the relaxation of EPA water standards. Esquire endorses: Miller

D 2 >> No major-party opponent Allen Boyd (D) A centrist who often rejects the Democratic party line, Boyd has made some enemies in Washington, and many more friends back home. Esquire endorses: Boyd

D 4 >> Ander Crenshaw (R) Bob Harms (D) Crenshaw looks after his military-dependent district, sometimes to the point of becoming meddlesome: Surely the Navy, not a lone representative, should determine whether a 40-year-old, oil-powered aircraft carrier should be decommissioned. But nobody's perfect. Esquire endorses: Crenshaw

D 5 >> Ginny Brown-Waite (R) John Russell (D) Brown-Waite has taken the lead in strengthening veterans' benefits, broke with her party over the Terri Schiavo case, and--bravely risking political suicide in Florida--cautiously supports softening the embargo on Cuba. Esquire endorses: Brown-Waite

D 6 >> Cliff Stearns (R) David Bruderly (D) The man behind the national do-not-call list! The nation owes its quieter evenings, and a debt of gratitude, to Cliff Stearns. Esquire endorses: Stearns

D 7 >> John Mica (R) John Chagnon (D) Mica created the Transportation Security Administration; refreshingly, he's also led the calls for its spending to be audited. Esquire endorses: Mica

D 8 >> Ric Keller(R) Charlie Stuart (D) Ric Keller's sole ambition seems to be to establish himself as the most right-wing member of the delegation, whatever the costs. Esquire endorses: Stuart

D 10 >> Bill Young (R) Samm Simpson (D) Bill Young has been in Congress since 1970. There's a good reason he's lasted: He works hard, fairly, and with a strong sense of the duties of elected office. We need more like him. Esquire endorses: Young

D 11 >> Eddie Adams Jr. (R) Kathy Castor (D) Esquire endorses: Castor

D 12 >> Adam Putnam (R) No major-party opponent Putnam has been a party-line conservative for most of his six years in Congress, although--like many Republican hard-liners--he's willing to compromise when his own life is negatively affected by the policies he espouses. His family's agricultural business hires immigrant workers, and so Putnam supports a guest-worker program. Keep learning, kid. Esquire endorses: Putnam

D 14 >> Connie Mack (R) Robert Neeld (D) Looking, sometimes acting, and definitely studying like a guy from Animal House (seven years to get through the University of Florida? Duuuude!), Connie Mack is reportedly a fun guy to have around. He's not a bad congressman, either. Esquire endorses: Mack

D 15 >> Dave Weldon (R) Bob Bowman (D) Worst choice of 2006! Weldon declared that by watching a video of Terri Schiavo, he could tell she was not in a vegetative state--and he's the vice-chairman of the House Science Subcommittee. His opponent, on the other hand, believes that 9/11 was an inside job. Good Lord. Esquire endorses: Write-in John Kennedy, who narrowly lost the Democratic primary.

D 16 >> Mark Foley (R) Tim Mahoney (D) Foley shepherded Hollywood types around Congress in an effort to get them to portray the Iraq war in a favorable light. Mahoney, a former Republican, is so sick of this crap, he switched parties to run. Esquire endorses: Mahoney

D 17 >> No major-party opponent Kendrick Meek (D) Meek was essentially handed his seat by his mother, former congresswoman Carrie Meek. But to his credit, he's done some ambitious things with that gift. Esquire endorses: Meek

D 18 >> Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) Dave Patlak (D) She displays zero independence on the matter of the Cuban embargo (it'll be lifted over her dead body), but otherwise Ros-Lehtinen is a well-liked centrist with a record of bucking the party in defense of immigrants' rights. Esquire endorses: Ros-Lehtinen

D 19 >> No major-party opponent Robert Wexler(D) Wexler attentively represents his wealthy Jewish district while also offering an important link between his constituents and the majority-black district next door to his. Esquire endorses: Wexler

D 21 >> Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) Frank Gonzalez (D) The Diaz-Balarts are the Kennedys of the Cuban-American community. Lincoln, the eldest son, is a far smarter and more pragmatic politician than his charm (and his embarrassing behavior during the EliÃƒfÃ‚Â¡n GonzÃƒfÃ‚Â¡lez affair) suggests. Esquire endorses: Diaz-Balart

D 23 >> No major-party opponent Alcee Hastings (D) Hastings plays the race card like a poker champ--it's what got him elected after he was removed from his judgeship for accepting bribes. Somehow, he's still around. Esquire endorses: Write-in candidate, please.

D 25 >> Mario Diaz-Balart (R) Michael Calderin (D) Diaz-Balart is a bit more conservative than his brother, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and his track record as a cost cutter is welcome in Washington. Esquire endorses: Diaz-Balart

Because of space constraints, some districts have been abridged here. For full Florida endorsements, please go to esquire.com/keystates.

Texas

What a disaster. Indicted former House majority leader Tom DeLay's redistricting scheme had to be redrawn. This means that elections in five districts--15, 21, 23, 25, and 28--may not be resolved on Election Day, requiring runoffs instead. Having done all the damage he can in Texas, DeLay now lives in Virginia.

GOVERNOR >> Rick Perry (R) Chris Bell (D) Kinky Friedman (I) Carol Keeton Strayhorn (I) We love a good joke as much as the next guy, but we're sorry, Kinky, we just can't. How to describe the incumbent, Rick Perry? We've got it: Not as smart as George W. Bush but much better hair. Our pick for the excellent people of Texas is the former congressman who had the guts to get the ethics investigation of Tom DeLay started. Esquire endorses: Bell

SENATE >> Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) Barbara Radnofsky (D) Texas has produced some of the giants of the Senate. Think Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ralph Yarborough, John Tower, Lloyd Bentsen. Not to mention Sam Houston. Is Hutchison really the best Texas can do? Sadly, the answer is yes. Esquire endorses: Hutchison

D 1 >> Louie Gohmert (R) Roger Owen (D) Esquire endorses: Owen

D 2 >> Ted Poe (R) Gary Binderim (D) Esquire endorses: Binderim

D 3 >> Sam Johnson (R)Dan Dodd (D) Johnson is the House's answer to Jack D. Ripper. Last year, he says, he had a conversation with President Bush in which he told the president that the nonexistent WMDs were in Syria. Johnson personally volunteered to fly an F-15 over and nuke Syria for the president. His opponent is a West Point graduate who did two tours of duty in Vietnam. Esquire endorses: Dodd

D 4 >> Ralph Hall (R) Glenn Melancon (D) A longtime Democratic congressman, Hall was forced to switch parties in 2004 after Republicans left his district out of spending bills. Esquire endorses: Hall

D 6 >> Joe Barton (R) David Harris (D) Barton was one of only 11 House members to vote against the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Relief Bill, this after telling Mississippi governor Haley Bar-bour, "Whatever you need from the federal government . . . we'll do everything we can to make it happen sooner rather than later and bigger rather than smaller." Dave Harris, an Iraq-war vet, should put a stop to this nonsense. Esquire endorses: Harris

D 13 >> Mac Thornberry (R) Roger Waun (D) That Thornberry is a distinguished thinker on defense issues and foreign affairs is impressive. That such an internationalist is from the Texas panhandle, even more so. Esquire endorses: Thornberry

D 14 >> Ron Paul (R) Shane Sklar (D) A real eccentric, Paul used to be considered right-wing. Now most of the delegation is far to his right. They've changed. He hasn't. Esquire endorses: Paul

D 17 >> Van Taylor (R) Chet Edwards (D) Edwards was the only white male Democrat to survive DeLay's redistricting, and for good reason: Nobody works harder on district issues than he does. Esquire endorses: Edwards

D 18 >> Ahmad Hassan (R) Sheila Jackson Lee (D) Barbara Jordan's former seat. Jackson Lee has spent her time on crucial work such as complaining that hurricane names are "lily white" and that "all racial groups should be represented" when it comes to naming killer storms. Esquire endorses: Hassan

D 19 >> Randy Neugebauer (R) Robert Ricketts (D) Ricketts, the challenger, is impressive across the range of issues and holds an endowed chair in taxation at Texas Tech and a Ph.D. in accounting. Neugebauer offers a profusion of "family values." Easy choice. Esquire endorses: Ricketts

D 20 >> No major party opponent Charlie Gonzalez (D) The son of legendary Congressman Henry B., Gonzalez is a chip off the old block. Esquire endorses: Gonzalez

Because of space constraints, some districts have been abridged here. For full Texas endorsements, please go to esquire.com/keystates.

THE CYNTHIA MCKINNEY AWARDS FOR THE WORST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

Well the worst member of Congress got beat in her primary (thanks, Georgia!), so we won't have the benefit of the cop-punching, Jew-baiting, 9/11 conspiracist's thought leadership anymore. But we name these awards in her honor.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R), ILLINOIS

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has been the doorman for an unnecessary war, a ruinous tax cut, an unprecedented executive power grab, and a $2 trillion increase in the federal deficit. Middle American values and small government, our ass. We hear there's an opening for a wrestling coach back in Yorkville, though.

SENATOR BILL FRIST (R), TENNESSEE

Probably the person most responsible for Congress ceasing to be a coequal branch of government. A brilliant transplant surgeon but a disastrous Senate majority leader. A toady for every last whim from the White House. Thank God the bipartisan Gang of 14 blocked Frist's reckless attempts to kill the filibuster, because he would have killed the Senate as a deliberative body in the process. Luckily, he's retiring. Hopefully to do something he's better at. Oh, wait, he's running for president.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA

Where on earth have the Democrats been? Having given the country precious little reason to vote for them, there are still a surprising number of them around. And here, with an opportunity to take control of the House, the Dems are saddled with a leadership better suited to organizing a candlelight vigil at Swarthmore than to restoring the balance of powers.

REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON (D), LOUISIANA

Jefferson claims there's a perfectly good reason he had $90,000 in cash stashed in his freezer, where it was found by the FBI. He won't, however, tell anybody what that reason is. You let us know when you're ready, Bill.

REP. JOHN DOOLITTLE (R), CALIFORNIA

Campaigning ferociously for title of most unabashedly corrupt member of Congress not yet serving time. Facing stiff competition, but in the lead. Took $140,000 from Jack Abramoff and his clients and refuses to give it back, because he "won't give credence to claims that he has taken tainted money, no matter how much the media tries to pressure him to do so." Oh, and his wife took payments from Abramoff, too. And a 15 percent cut of all of Doolittle's campaign contributions. What's a guy gotta do to get indicted around here?

SENATOR RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA

For the love of God, people, it's long past time that Rick Santorum did his man-on-dog, dog-on-man ruminations on his own time. WWJD? This one's a no-brainer.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO

"I wonder if they're more interested in protecting the terrorists than the American people." Majority Leader Boehner, referring to the Democrats in Congress. This our-opponents-are-traitors tack is despicable, but not surprising from him. Expect to hear it a lot this fall.

REP. TOM TANCREDO (R), COLORADO

Tancredo is Tancrazy. Made his name calling for mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Recently was the featured speaker at a meeting of the League of the South, described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a "neo-Confederate hate group." In a rare moment of clarity, he called his own suggestion that he run for president "idiotic."

SENATOR SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA

In the 2002 Senate race in Georgia, Mr. Chambliss attacked his opponent, incumbent senator Max Cleland, who lost both his legs and an arm in Vietnam, "for breaking his oath to protect and defend the Constitution." Chambliss didn't stop there. He then compared Cleland to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. These tactics should haunt Mr. Chambliss, who was four times deferred from the draft and ultimately avoided service because of a "football injury," for the rest of his life. He should never be allowed to live down the shame.

9 PILLARS OF CONGRESS

The good works and great sacrifice of our elected officials too often go unsung. If you're looking for real thought leadership, here are some of our very best.

SENATOR CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA

The kind of Republican every Republican should aspire to be. Scratch that. The kind of senator every senator should aspire to be. Independent, thoughtful, and big enough to see the virtue in the arguments of his opponents. A classic limited-government, low-tax conservative. Remember that kind of Republican? Neither do we.

SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN

The kind of Democrat every Democrat should aspire to be. The senator most motivated by the pursuit of the public interest over private interests. Walking such a path gets you described as "quixotic" by lesser lights and pundits, but Feingold couldn't care less.

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA

A dazzling legal mind who has emerged as a hero this year for standing firm (with Senators McCain and Warner) against dangerous attempts by the White House to withdraw the United States from the Geneva Conventions. A former military lawyer, he understood the disastrous implications of such a move better than anyone. Our candidate to succeed Frist as Republican leader in the Senate.

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA

A sharecropper's son, John Lewis shed his blood on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in the 1960s and remains a beacon of probity in the House. He has extended his civil-rights mission to argue against those who would enshrine discrimination against gay people in the Constitution.

REP. BOB INGLIS (R), SOUTH CAROLINA

Inglis was a congressman in the 1990s, and was one of only a handful of House Republicans who honored his pledge to serve only three terms. He returned six years later due to disgust with Congress's rampant earmarking. Inglis also bucks Big Oil as an alternative-fuels champion in the House, this year passing a bill creating the "H-Prize," a national competition to develop breakthrough technologies in hydrogen.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK

Has confounded every last paranoid delusion that the wing nuts had about her, and resoundingly. Triangulates to a fare-thee-well, which drives everybody crazy, but you know what? She is an excellent senator as a result. Just ask some of her most right-wing colleagues, because they work with her just fine, thanks. Her husband should have had it so good.

SENATOR OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE

One of the real grown-ups in Congress. Centrist Snowe backs her antitax leanings with genuine economic intelligence; business-incentive packages are among her favorite tools. Without her, the Bush tax cut would have been twice as large--and our national debt that much higher.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), CALIFORNIA

Someone always steps up to say enough is enough. With little or no power to do so, Waxman has nonetheless been a one-man bulwark against some of the more egregious excesses of this White House, launching investigations into government secrecy, prewar claims about WMDs, bad intelligence, and the administration's politicization of science. Just imagine what he could do if he had any power.

SENATOR RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA

It would be hard to overstate the quality of Dick Lugar's service to this country. He is a thoughtful, principled, and just man, a firm believer in the idea that government should treat and serve all citizens--including elected ones, from either party--fairly and according to the law. He is included on this list because as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has been a model of how the parties can and should work together.

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